The Tainted and the Broken
by At the End of Dreaming
Summary: During a battle with Venjix, Dillon is thrown into the future. A future where everything he knows is completely different. As he waits to get home he finds himself drawn into the twisted, broken mess his best friend has become. Diggy.
1. Chapter 1

The Tainted and the Broken

Chapter 1

Dillon groaned as he slowly came awake, his entire body aching. Damn, what the hell had he been fighting last night? One hand clutching at his stomach, he shifted onto his side. He opened his eyes slowly, looking around. Immediately he knew something was wrong. This wasn't his room; in fact, this didn't look like any of the rooms in the Garage at all. He moved to sit up despite how his body protested, his mind screaming at him. Find out where you are, find the team, find Ziggy.

Before he could get very far, a small, delicate hand pressed against his shoulder, urging him back down. A soft but tense, familiar, voice told him, "Lay back down. You shouldn't move much yet." He frowned, trying to place the voice and looked up.

The young, petite woman standing above him stared back at him, her blue eyes sharp with intelligence, pain, and wariness. "Doc?" he asked, finally allowing the much weaker girl to push him down. Doctor K nodded slightly, reaching down on the bed stand for something. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you Series Black. Tilt your head please." she requested.

He did as asked, wincing when she pressed what felt like freezing cold metal in the curve of his neck, resting just above his pulse. There was the quick sound of rushing air before something pierced his skin, cold flooding through his veins. He jerked away, his gaze moving back towards the woman's cool, focused eyes as she pulled away as well, replacing whatever she had back on the table. "What was that?" he asked, a feeling of unease washing through him. A strange sense of wrongness filled him; something about the young doctor was different, off.

"Pain killer." She replied crisply, not seeming to notice his sudden wariness. "Series Black, what's the last thing you remember?"

He looked away from her, trying to think. After a long moment it came back to him in quick flashes.

_Working on his car as Ziggy slept curled up in the passenger seat, unaware of the world around him._

_Hearing the alarm blare, shocking Ziggy awake._

_Driving out to the battlefield._

_Morphing._

_Fighting with Grinders and Tenaya, feeling Ziggy backing him up._

_Watching as the new attack bot messed around with a large sphere of energy in the middle of the street._

_Seeing Ziggy suddenly tumbling towards that sphere and racing to save him, instincts telling him that him hitting it wouldn't be good._

_Somehow taking Ziggy's place in the stumble towards the now crackling energy. _

_Having one second for relief that Ziggy was safe before he slammed into the sphere, pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before racing through him._

_Getting a quick look at Ziggy's wide, shocked eyes and hearing a horrified shout of his name before he was falling._

_And catching one crystal clear look of those same chocked brown eyes, somehow darker and colder before he fainted._

"I was fighting." He told her, trying to piece together what had happened into words. "There was this sphere of energy and I hit it. I was falling, in a hell of a lot of pain, and then I passed out." He looked up at her for an explanation. She was the scientist, she had probably already figured out what the sphere was.

But the expression on her face was slightly confused and curious, her eyes examining him carefully. "I will have to run a few tests on you. See how the energy affected your mechanical parts." She told him calmly. "You should sleep though; your body could use the rest."

He tried to protest but before he could she pressed the cool metal object from before against his neck. There was the rush of air and cold seeped into his body. Almost immediately it was followed by a strong wave of tiredness. He blinked his eyes drowsily up at her, trying to make his suddenly blank mind to piece together the confusing situation.

She looked back at him, one hand absently coming up to flick her long hair over her shoulders and...- wait, what? He tried to focus harder, his mind finally registering what he was seeing. Doctor K's face had lost what remained of her baby-fat, leaving the oval shape smooth and slim. Her skin had a small tan like she had finally seen some sun. Her once short bob-cut hair now fell past her shoulders and down in back in straight, loose strands. She had lost her white lab coat and school-like uniform in exchange for a light lavender-colored shirt and earth-brown suede skirt that fluttered around her feet and simple white slip-on shoes. This was not the Doctor K he knew.

But before he could do anything with the revelation, whatever she had given him kicked in and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

His sleep was restless this time, intermittent with brief periods of hazy wakefulness. He could remember waking up to Doctor K hovering over him, a small silver scanner in her hands. He could remember hearing a soft, feminine voice that wasn't Summer's or the Doc's or Gemma's but was still familiar whispering to him. He could remember waking up to see chocolate brown eyes swimming above him, blank and cold and seemingly lifeless. He could remember Doctor K's and Ziggy's voice-which was different, empty and emotionless- talking to each other lowly, so low he couldn't make out the words.

When he woke up, he was alone.

He shifted, slowly pushing himself into a sitting position. His body didn't hurt like it did before but a small thumping ache was still there. He glanced around, taking a better look at the room. It was white-washed and plain. Not a hospital because he knew the hospital rooms and this wasn't one of them. But someone had gone through a lot of work to replicate the feel of it. He threw his legs over the side off the bed, intent on figuring out what was going on.

Just as he stood fully, the door opened and Doctor K entered the room. Her lab coat was back on her shoulders but she wasn't in uniform yet and her hair still spun down her back in straight, untouched, black locks. He stiffened, his eyes narrowing on her. Something was very wrong here.

This time the young woman did notice his unease, freezing in the doorway. The two stared at each other for a long moment before the Doc asked him, fake casual like, "What's the date, Series Black?"

He stared at her, not understanding the question, then, against his better instincts, he answered. "November 9th, 2060. It's a Tuesday." At least, he thought it was.

Doctor K shook her head at the answer. "Sunday." she told him. "August 24th, 2062."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "How long was I out?" he asked. Even he knew he couldn't have slept that long without severe muscle entropy. "There is no way I was asleep for just under two years."

"Since you got here, about two days." she answered. "I examined the residual energy clinging to you. You apparently got thrown through a temporal distortion." At his blank look she sighed and rolled her eyes. And suddenly his Doc was standing in front of him because even the best actors in the world couldn't duplicate that irritated, 'I'm surrounded by idiots' look. "A ripple in time." she explained. "When you got caught in it you were thrown two years into the future."

He nodded slowly. "Nice story. How do I know this isn't a trick or something?" he asked. A scandalized expression slid across her face and she suddenly looked very angry. "You think this is a trick?!" she demanded heatedly. "Trust me, if I was going to play any kind of joke, it wouldn't involve you. We all have it hard enough without dragging up the past!" Her tone lowered suddenly and the next words seemed to be said more to herself than anything. "He has it hard enough."

Finally she shook her head and moved to walk out. She paused in the threshold and looked back at him. "Come on. Ziggy wants to talk to you." she told him.

His eyes widened. "Ziggy?" he asked. She nodded and pointed towards the bed stand. "There should be clean clothes in there for you. It's all we have; even Gem's clothes will be a bit too small on you."

He nodded and dug out the clothes, Doctor K disappearing out the door. He changed quickly into the black shirt and jeans which seemed a bit too small as well but would have to do. After that was done he followed K out the door to see her waiting patiently near the stairs. He glanced around, frowning as he took a good look. "This isn't the Garage." he muttered.

"We changed locations a year and a half ago." She told him. "The lab at the Garage was destroyed beyond repair in an attack. Along with the fact that we couldn't salvage anything, the attack brought to our attention just how defenseless it was against attacks. So we moved here. It's closer to the center of the city anyway."

They were all valid arguments but somehow he sensed there was another reason for the move she wasn't saying. They moved silently towards the entrance where he found the Rangers store of vehicles. Immediately he knew something was wrong. Scott's car, Flynn's truck, Summer's motorcycle, and his own Pontiac were missing. In their place was a smooth forest green Aston Martin, a dark violet Honda sports bike, and a silver Infiniti. There was also an empty space next to the Infiniti where another car could go.

He frowned but before he could ask what had happened to his car, Ziggy's familiar, soft tenor met his ears. "Let's try attack pattern Echo, Gem."

Turning his head, he got his first good look at this supposed future version of his best friend. And suddenly any doubts he had that this wasn't some twisted form of time-travel disappeared. Ziggy stood just outside the building, his back towards them and his head tilted skyward. Ziggy's hair was longer than he remembered, falling just past his shoulders in messy curls. Unlike Doctor K's longer hair, which had obviously been done on purpose, Ziggy looked more like he just hadn't found the time to cut it. He had traded his normal skinny blue jeans and dark green, almost black tee-shirt for light green cargo pants and a tight, long-sleeved black shirt. His Series Green uniform leather jacket was still resting over his shoulders.

Doctor K approached him. Before she could say anything he held up a hand and shook his head. K held her tongue, stepping back by Dillon's side. "We'll be done soon." Ziggy stated, his tone clipped. Dillon's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the curt tone which was so unlike the Ziggy he knew.

Ziggy's eyes continued to scan the sky as he ignored him and Dillon finally dragged his gaze from his drastically different friend to whatever he was looking at. A small fighter plane flashed through the fake sky, pulling maneuvers Dillon would never try with a Zord. After another minute Ziggy asked the air in front of him, "What do you hear Gem?"

Although Dillon didn't hear anything Ziggy nodded like he had gotten a reply. "Alright. Grab the guns and bring in the cat." He ordered, making Dillon frown in confusion. Once that was said, the Ranger Green turned to them, his eyes cool and detached and startlingly lifeless. He stared at Dillon blankly for a long moment then turned his head to look at Doctor K. "He check out?" he asked, ignoring Dillon.

She nodded. "He's clean. According to him it's Tuesday, two years ago. My tests confirm it." she replied. She paused slightly and told him, "I'm sorry Ziggy." Ziggy shrugged and waved away the apology. "Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness." He replied.

He moved, walking towards them then brushing past them silently. By now Dillon's head was spinning and he really wanted the world to go back to normal. "Ziggy!" he called. The younger man's pause seemed reflexive, his head turn unintended, and his gaze unwilling. Now that he had Ziggy's attention, Dillon found he had no idea what to say. He had to settle with a plain, "Hey."

Ziggy turned towards him fully and approached him, his stare cutting, cold, and relentless. It was like he was searching for something. They stayed like that for a long time, no one moving or saying anything. Dillon resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably under his friend's stare, waiting for him to finish his examination. The tense moment was broken when a burnt golden Jaguar rolled easily into the building, parking in the empty space next to the Infiniti. Dillon was surprised to feel faintly relieved when the familiar, unchanged face of Gem stepped out, jogging over to them.

"Hey Doc." he greeted with a smile. "So, boss, what did you think? Can we keep the _shift_? I know Gemma's really excited about learning to fly." He asked in a rush. Dillon felt shock ripple through him when he realized Gem wasn't talking to Doctor K but to Ziggy. Since when did Gem call Ziggy 'Boss'? Since when did Gem speak in complete sentences? Since when did he and Gemma not do the whole twin talk? And on that note, where the hell was Gemma?

"She's out." Ziggy told him, not glancing his way at all. Dillon frowned, pretty sure he hadn't said anything out loud. Gem jerked slightly, spinning to stare at him with wide eyes suddenly filled with caution. "Um, hi Dillon." he greeted nervously, making Dillon wonder why they were all so scared of him. Gem looked back at Ziggy questioningly. "Boss?"

Ziggy looked at him again with that searching gaze, measuring and assessing him. "He's good." Ziggy said and tension Dillon didn't even realize was in the room drained out as both Doctor K and Gem relaxed. Ziggy remained unchanged though as he turned to leave in a clearly dismissive gesture to them all.

Before he could get very far Doctor K called out to him. "Ziggy!" The young man stopped again and looked back at her. A conversation seemed to pass between them before Ziggy sighed through his nose. "Gem, go... wait for your sister outside." he ordered. "Kat, take 'Aya and go examine the area where he appeared. Let's get him home."

The two immediately moved to follow the instructions, leaving him and Ziggy alone together. Ziggy met his eyes squarely. "I'm going to be as succinct as possible here Dillon. I don't like you. I don't like the fact that you're here. I can't wait to find out how to get you gone. I am only dealing with you because I have to. But hurt a single member of my team and the protection my acceptance of you gives you will be gone."

"That's pretty succinct." he agreed, unable to stop the choking sensation he was getting. What had happened to the Ziggy he knew? The innocent, naive, kind-hearted Ziggy who would never say that to anyone? What had made him so cold? They stared at each other for a long time, neither speaking. It was strange because normally Ziggy would be scrambling to find a topic of conversation to fill the silence, anything that would get him to respond. He didn't quite know how to fill the silence now that Ziggy wasn't trying.

Ziggy's lips thinned and he jerked his gaze away suddenly. "Two years is a long time. People change." he told him. There was a moment's pause as Doctor K ran past them to leave the building, a young woman he didn't know following her. She was wearing black dress boots that traveled up long, muscled legs to the knee, where a pair of black jeans moved out from beneath the top from being tucked in to rest on fine-boned, delicate hips. A cut of smooth, tanned skin showed before being hidden by a dark violet shirt that had black lacing up both sides. On top of that was what looked like a Ranger uniform black leather jacket. She had long, straight brown hair traveled down her slim shoulders with the bangs done up in braids. Her face, tanned, unblemished with dark brown eyes much like his own, was familiar but he couldn't place it.

Dillon turned to watch them leave, arching an eyebrow at the emblem of a leopard stitched in purple on the back. The girl was defiantly a Ranger. "When do we run out of colors?" he asked without thinking, forgetting the situation. Ziggy snorted despite himself, in amusement or annoyance he couldn't tell, and shook his head. Dillon looked at him. "That 'Aya?" he asked, remembering the name Ziggy had said.

"That's just a nickname. You should recognize her full name. Tenaya, remember?" Ziggy's tone of voice made it seem more like a statement than a question. Dillon frowned, glancing back the way the two women had gone. "Tenaya? Tenaya _Seven_?" he asked in startlement.

Ziggy gave him a look that seemed to say 'who else?' Dillon frowned, wondering if that was safe. "I trust Tenaya with my life." Ziggy said and Dillon got the impression that it wasn't meant to comfort him. He wondered if he meant it as a warning not to hurt her.

The Green Ranger turned so his back was facing him. "On the bottom floor is the garage, the kitchen, the lab, and the training room. On the second floor is the library, the rec room, the medi-lab, and two bathrooms, one for the girls, one for the boys. The bedrooms are on the third floor. You don't go into either lab without an escort, you don't touch the vehicles, and you don't go into the girl's bathroom. Understand?" he asked.

"Yeah." Dillon acknowledged. Ziggy nodded slightly, before turning to walk away. Dillon frowned, his jaw tightening. "Why do you hate me so much?"

Ziggy paused at the question, looking back at him. It wasn't the wide-eyed innocent look his Ziggy always had. It was sharp and cruel and just slightly pained. "It's easier to hate you, Dillon." Ziggy whispered.

---

Later that day, Dillon rummaged through the cabinets in the kitchen, trying to find something to eat. As he did so, a voice called out from behind him. "Cereal's in the top left cabinet."

He paused at the words, looking over his shoulder to see the young woman leaning against the door frame staring at him. He recognized the voice and the outfit but the face dragged up another memory. Memories of a young girl staring at him with blank, unseeing eyes. Memories... of his sister. "You're her." he whispered.

She arched an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. "You mean he didn't tell you? Figures." she muttered. She smirked slightly and whistled out the tune his pocket-watch played. "Yup, I'm your sister."

He dropped his arms down to his side, wondering how much more of this he could take before he completely cracked. He wandered over to the counter and sat down heavily, running a tired hand over his face. Tenaya's eyes were pitying as she approached him. "How you dealing with this?" she asked.

"I'm... not." he answered. "I'm trying really hard not to think about any of it."

Tenaya patted his arm comfortingly as she brushed past him. "Oh, poor boy." She sympathized. She came back to the counter with two bowls of cereal, one of which she placed in front of him. They sat there in silence, both eating as Dillon tried to come to terms with what was going on. Finally he spoke up about something that had been bothering him for a long time. "Where's the rest of the team?" he asked.

His sister paused, swallowed what was in her mouth, and dropped her eyes. She shifted uncomfortably as she thought about what to say. "They're... not here." She finally told him.

"Outside the dome?" he asked, not understanding. She shook her head. "They're just not here."

---

Ziggy sat in his room on the window seat, the side of his body pressed against the cool glass plane. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his hands resting on them. Dillon's old pocket watch lay open in his cupped palms, the soft melody whispering past his ears. He jammed his eyes shut, the memory of Scott's voice playing in his head.

_"Hold on to this Ziggy. He'd want you to."_

He took a deep but shaky breath and opened his eyes slowly. A few small tears slid down his cheeks and he didn't bother to brush them away. "I miss you." he whispered. "Really badly."

"I love you Dillon."


	2. Chapter 2

The Tainted and the Broken

Chapter 2

When Dillon woke up that morning, for a long, blissful moment he thought it had all been one crazy dream. He hoped it, all of it- the more personal Doctor K, a cold, hard-edged Ziggy, a good Tenaya who just happened to be his sister- was just a strange figment of his imagination. All of that hope had crumbled down when he realized this wasn't his room. He had contemplated staying there until either Ziggy kicked him out or the people in this place turned sane again. In the end he had sat up and decided it wasn't worth it.

As he wandered own from the third level to the kitchen, he heard a soft humming, higher and lighter than Gem's or Ziggy's voice. His first reflexive thought was 'What is Summer doing up already?' before he remembered that Summer wasn't here. She was...out. And Gemma was missing; Doctor K just didn't hum.

Tenaya. His sister. And wasn't that still a strange thought.

He entered the kitchen, staring at the young woman leaning against the counter, her eyes fixed on the far wall. "Morning Zig." she called without looking over at him.

"I'll pass on the sentiment." he said, watching as her head whipped around to stare at him. She blinked wide brown eyes at him in a gesture that reminded him rather painfully of Ziggy. "Um...Sorry." she said. "I'm used to Ziggy being the only one up this early. So, coffee?" she asked.

He nodded slightly, moving to sit down at the counter. "Thanks." he whispered. She nodded, starting to hum softly again.

After a long moment of surprising comfortable silence the sound of feet gliding across the floor towards them met his ears. This time Tenaya looked over and smiled at the wild-haired, dead-eyed, too-pale version of Ziggy. "Morning, Zig." she greeted.

He nodded to her, walking forward and accepting the cup of coffee she shoved into his hands. He turned towards him then paused, staring at him blankly. "Oh." Ziggy muttered. "I thought you were a dream."

Tenaya giggled softly. "Drink your coffee Ziggy." she instructed. Ziggy complied, taking a long sip as he continued to stare at Dillon. Dillon decided to ignore him, dropping his gaze to the ink black coffee Tenaya had handed him. After a minute Ziggy turned back to Tenaya, seeming vastly more awake. "Did Gemma come back last night?" he asked.

She shook her head, causing Ziggy to sigh. "If she's not back by 1300, we go save her. Again." he instructed tiredly, seeming like he'd given the order several times before. Tenaya nodded absently, going back to her humming.

Dillon took a deep breath, breathing in the heated fumes from the coffee as he took a good, long look at his friend. He didn't like what he saw. There were dark circles under his eyes, highlighting his dangerously pale skin. His hair was everywhere, the long strands tangled beyond belief and his clothes were rumpled. Ziggy's dark brown eyes flickered towards him as if sensing the observation and despite the sharpness of the gaze, the awareness in them, there was a distressing lack of life in them, a dead look like he'd just given up.

Ziggy frowned at him. "What?" he asked irritably.

He shook his head. "Nothing." he replied. Ziggy didn't look like he believed him. What happened to the Ziggy who trusted whatever came out of his mouth? He really needed to get home.

Gem suddenly bounded into the room, looking all too energetic this early in the morning. "Good Morning!" he greeted with a wide smile. Ziggy groaned softly. "It's too early in the morning to deal with you." he complained. Shaking his head, the Green Ranger walked out of the room, stopping only to slap Gem on the back of the head roughly.

The Gold Ranger winced slightly but continued on into the room. "Gemma get back yet?" he asked, grabbing a bagel and jamming it into the toaster. Tenaya shook her head. "1300, we go get her."

"Where is Gemma?" Dillon asked. Gem starting singing under his breath cheerfully as Tenaya replied. "Gemma is out on recon. She's the one that gets us all of our information on Venjix's moves. She tends to get herself into a bit of trouble in the process."

He nodded as Doctor K walked in, looking like she hadn't slept at all last night. Tenaya looked at her in concern. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, approaching her. Doctor K nodded, looking around. "Where's Ziggy?" she asked, seeming to accept the coffee Tenaya handed her without thought.

"You just missed him." Tenaya told her softly. Doctor K nodded, gave the newest Ranger a small smile, and walked back out. Gem 'oohed' softly once she had left, pointing at Tenaya. The young woman rolled her eyes and ignored him expect for s small shake of her head. "Pervert." she muttered.

Dill arched an eyebrow and decided that once again, he was missing something. "Something I should know?" he asked. Tenaya shook her head but he noticed a slow blush darkening her cheeks. Gem grinned widely. "Oh yeah. Our dear Tenaya here," he said, stepping forward to poke obnoxiously at her side. She glared, flinching back from the touches reflexively. Gem's grin just widened when he finished. "Is engaged."

He leaned back, raising his eyebrows at his sister. "Engaged?" he asked in surprise. He jerked a hand over his shoulder in the direction Doctor K had gone. "To the Doc?"

"That is exactly what we said when we found out." Gem agreed, still grinning. "No one expected it. These two are damn good at keeping secrets."

He didn't doubt that. He looked over at Tenaya. "I'm not sure what to say."

Clearing her throat, she met his eyes. "It's Kat." she told him in an effort to change the subject. "You keep calling her Doc or Doctor K. We named her Katherine or Kat last year. Just thought you should know."

---

Katherine stopped when she found Ziggy in the rec room, curled up in one of the lounge chairs. She sighed heavily, drawing his attention. "You've been having the dreams again." she said sadly, staring at the circles under his eyes. He shrugged, not seeming concerned as he ran his eyes over her.

"You haven't been sleeping." He accused, his over-protectiveness coming to the forefront. Knowing that he wouldn't let her get away with waving it off, she whispered, "I had something to do."

Ziggy uncurled his long legs, standing up in one smooth, graceful movement that he would never have been able to do two years ago. "You shouldn't work all night, Kat." he muttered, his eyes dancing with concern. She smiled softly when she recognized the old Ziggy in those eyes.

Ziggy Grover wasn't as hard or cold as he acted. His kind heart was still buried somewhere in him, hidden from the rest of the world. He only showed it to his team. He had just been hurt to many times to act the way he did before. His smiles and laughter and sheer _life_ had been traded years ago for cool looks, head slaps, and calm, calculating logic. The years had not been easy on him.

Ziggy Grover was nothing more than a young man broken beyond repair.

And yet, there were times when she caught him with a little smile and warm eyes, and she thought that maybe he wasn't completely lost yet. "I don't want you getting hurt again." She told him with a soft smile. "I examined the energy surrounding Series Black. I have a conclusion."

He seemed to almost perk up, his eyes lightening just slightly. As much as he didn't want to, Ziggy had never stopped caring about Dillon. And it was evident in everything he did, his drive, his conviction; it was all to get closer to the machine that had taken the person he loved away from him, to destroy it. But that need for revenge and the almost aching loneliness was something he allowed only her to see. "What is it?"

"I do not believe forcing Series Black back to his own time will work. It could tear him apart. And if one was to follow basic logic, it would be plausible to say that our time would fall apart as it would seem that Series Black had just disappeared from the timeline." she told him.

Ziggy stepped closer to her, his gaze hardening. Some would interpret the look as threatening but she knew he would never, could never, bring himself to harm any of them. Except for maybe the occasional head slap. Still, she continued. "However, the temporal energy holding Dillon to this time is fading at a relatively steady pace. He should return to his own time soon."

"How long, Kat?" he asked. She shrugged, uncertain in her answer when she told him, "A week, maybe two." She paused in thought then added, "More likely somewhere closer to one week."

He nodded in understanding. He leaned forward, pressing a quick, affectionate kiss to her cheek. "Good work, Kat." He whispered. His own silent way of saying how much he appreciated all of their hard work. He turned and walked past her, out the door.

She turned to watch him leave. "I hope he doesn't break you again Ziggy." she whispered.

---

Dillon looked up when he felt the young man stop in front of him. "Yes Ziggy?" he asked, straightening out of his slouch. He really didn't know how to act around this version of his friend. Ziggy met his gaze with cool eyes. "Kat has come to the conclusion that the temporal energy holding you to this time will wear off and you will be able to go home in approximately one week." He said.

Once that was said he turned and walked away. Dillon clenched his jaw tightly. "Ziggy I am going to ask you a question." He told him, making the young man turn around. "And you are going to give me a straight answer."

Ziggy looked unwilling but nodded. Once he did, a million thoughts raced through his head. So many things he needed to ask, needed to know. What had happened to him? What had happened to the sweet, innocent young boy he knew from before? Finally he asked, "Where's the rest of the team?"

"Gemma's out doing recon." Ziggy said, making him grind his teeth. He should have asked when Ziggy got so damn good at skipping around a question. "That's not what I mean and you know it." he ground out.

Pain flared in Ziggy's dark brown eyes and Dillon immediately regretted asking when his expression turned stricken. But Ziggy answered him before he could take it back.

"They're dead."

The answer was quick and to the point. But there was so much pain in that one simple sentence that he didn't know what to say. Dead? They were all...dead?

Ziggy nodded, his tone harsh when he bit out, "Yes Dillon. Dead." The Green Ranger snapped his eyes closed and turned his head away, making Dillon realize that the memories of their deaths still haunted him. "Summer... Summer died a year and a half ago in an explosion. Scott and Flynn were killed in battle five months ago."

"I'm sorry." he whispered. "I didn't know. I thought they were outside the dome or something. Away on some grand mission."

Ziggy's eyes slid open and he nodded again, slowly. "I know." It was a soft whisper and if Dillon tried he thought he could hear something like an apology in his tone. Ziggy turned to leave again, his eyes shadowed and dark. Although he knew he shouldn't Dillon couldn't help but ask, "Where I am?"

The Green Ranger turned just enough for him to see his eyes again. They were haunted and he could almost see the memories playing out in his mind. The brown eyes glistened with what looked like tears and for a moment he thought he was going to cry. "We lost you first."

Once that was said, Ziggy practically ran from the room. Dillon watched him go, wondering if he should go after him. But he knew that this Ziggy wouldn't want or accept any comfort he offered. He turned away, walking into the garage. Gem was there, typing on a laptop that was perched on the hood of his car, a long cord stretching from hard drive to the engine. Gem's dark eyes flickered up towards him when he entered and wry grin stretched across his lips. "If you keep asking stupid questions, he's going to deck you." he intoned.

Not even trying to wonder how Gem knew that, Dillon sighed and whispered out, "I just wanted to know what's going on. I didn't think...he'd react like that."

Gem rolled his eyes, an unusual action for him and turned back to the laptop. Despite himself, Dillon approached the other Ranger, staring at the numbers rolling down the screen. He didn't get any of it. "What are you doing?"

The Gold Ranger gave him a considering look then told him, "I'm calibrating the _shift_ for when we go get Gemma."

"Doesn't she still have time?"

"If she was coming," Gem said, with that absolute certainty only a twin could possess. "She'd be here by now. And since the boss doesn't want you here alone, Tenaya gets to play babysitter, so only me and Ziggy are going. With just the two of us, we're going to need _shift 4_."

Dillon wondered if he should be hurt by the mistrust Ziggy had in him but he had already come to expect it from his suddenly severely introverted friend. He let it go and asked something that shouldn't make the people around him cry. "What's a shift?"

The skin around Gem's eyes crinkled in a smile and he patted the hood of his car affectionately. "This is a _shift_." He said. "It's a tactical land-to-air attack vehicle. It has the ability to change, or shift, forms. The first three are the ones installed in every vehicle; the car, the motorcycle, and the land rover. Only my Jaguar has _shift 4_, which allows it to change into a fighter plane. I test all the new equipment, that's why it's only uploaded into mine."

He nodded, impressed. "Sounds interesting." He wondered how long it took them to make the program. Gem smiled widely at him. "You should be very proud of your sister. Half the things we have today she created. We wouldn't be here if she hadn't changed sides. Owe her a lot."

Dillon smiled slightly, turning his head to look back at the rest of the building. Yeah, he'd gotten that.

---

Ziggy dropped down onto the bed, breathing deeply in an effort to ease away the stress in his body. Gemma had actually shown about an hour before he and Gem had been set to leave, slightly worn around the edges but altogether in one piece. Her reason for being so late was that she got distracted. What sane 20-something-year-old woman gets distracted while on a deadly mission to gather information in enemy territory?

Oh right. Gemma wasn't sane.

He closed his eyes, letting himself drift off just slightly. Just enough for his nightmares to seize his mind.

_He struggled against the arms linked through his elbows, holding him back. Panic rushed through him, freezing him at the same time it urged him forward. He had to get in there, he had to save her. "Let me go!" He shouted, feeling his eyes start to burn._

_Scott's voice shouted back in his ear. "We can't!" The Red Ranger sounded choked but determined. Despite the situation he had made up his mind. Ziggy felt his throat close up and he shook his head, struggling against Flynn's hold harder. "We have to help her!" He yelled, feeling his tears slip down his cheeks._

_Flynn shifted his attention to Scott for just a moment, allowing him to break his hold. Ziggy ran towards the building as fast as he could, ignoring the shouts calling for him to stop. A few feet from the building the explosion knocked him off his feet. He landed roughly on his side and he rolled reflexively in an effort to wear off the inertia. Once he had come to a stop he propped himself up and looked at what remained of the building. He was covered in rumble and his face had become layered in ash, streaked where his tears slid through. _

_"Summer!!!!"_

Ziggy's eyes snapped open and he took deep breaths. He sat up slowly, brushing away the cold sweat that had collected on his forehead. He threw his legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed his jacket and sunglasses, quickly jogging out into the garage. He slid easily into his Vanquish, slipping his glasses on and starting the engine. The shades shifted, turning infra-red, allowing him to see in the dark.

He pulled the car out and initiated the shifting sequence. He felt the vehicle change around him and the roar of the motorcycle pierced his ears. A minute later the sound was numbed as his glasses grew and covered his head in the form of a helmet. He drove through the city, intent on his destination. When he arrived he slowly slid to a stop and climbed off. His helmet retreated into the form of sunglasses which he carefully slipped off and tucked into his shirt.

He walked calmly the rest of the way, the grass crunching beneath his feet as he got closer. The light from the fake moon glinted off the water of the lake and shown across the empty area. A shadow fell across his form and he tilted his head up to stare at the monument before him. The monument for their fallen Rangers.

Reaching forward with shaking hands he trailed careful fingers over the groves of the faded yellow helmet. He could still remember watching with an aching heart as it rolled to his feet following the explosion, all that was left of the once proud Yellow Ranger. He could still remember going through the motions as they prepared her funeral. He could still remember bringing his hand up in a perfect salute, could remember how his body jerked involuntarily every time the sounds of the shots from the 21 Gun Salute rang out around him. He could still remember the feel of the tears trailing down his face and the hollow feeling in his heart.

A tight, pain-filled smile crossed his face. "I checked on them last month. The kids you saved, the ones you got out of the building before it exploded. They're still thankful. They know they would have died if you hadn't gone back to get them, if you haven't given up your life." He paused, feeling his throat start to close up. He cleared it quickly and continued. "You saved all 27 people. But still... still...

"I wish you were here Summer."


	3. Chapter 3

The Tainted and the Broken

Chapter 3

Dillon had known that Ziggy had changed. His dear friend was drastically different from how he remembered him. Gone was the warmth and happiness and life and in their place was someone who was cold and distant and something in his eyes was blank and lost. Sometimes he was shocked by how hash he could be but during the almost three days he'd been here he'd started to get used to it.

But he had thought that Ziggy being team leader was nothing more than the fact that he was the only person left from the original team. And he was quickly being proven wrong.

He leaned back in the chair he'd been provided, watching as Ziggy systematically wiped the floor with Gem, Gemma, and Tenaya. When Doctor- K, he was learning- had first suggested the three-on-one fight he had been concerned and skeptical. And Ziggy had proven him wrong, severely wrong.

Ziggy slid out of the way of Gem's punch, dropped down to kick out Gemma's legs from under her and flipped over the Gold Ranger's downed body to slam a roundhouse kick to Tenaya's side. Before he could pull away, Tenaya wrapped an arm around his leg in an effort to keep him in place. The Green Ranger didn't hesitate when he pushed himself up off the ground and twisted, using his free leg to kick Tenaya roughly in the head.

Dillon winced in sympathetic pain as his sister fell. "That had to hurt." He observed, glancing at Kat next to him. She nodded, a smile of pride on her face. "He's getting faster."

He hummed in agreement, tilting his head to the side as he watched Ziggy fight. There was grace in his movements; he made the fight look like a dance. It was beautiful. And there was something about his movements, something off. It was almost like he could sense what they were going to do before they did it. "How does he do it? Know what their going to do?" he asked.

Kat gave him a confused look before realization dawned on her and she rolled her eyes. "I thought someone had told you. I guess not."

He frowned. "Told me what?" he demanded.

"That Ziggy's telepathic." She said, looking completely serious. He stared at her in disbelief. "Telepathic? As in...he can..."

"Read your mind?" she finished for him, a small, amused smile on her face. She nodded. "Yes. He can also project his thoughts so he can tell you things without saying them out loud." At his disbelieving look her amused smile grew into a grin. "Yes I know. Your Ziggy can't do that. He learned to do it during a training excursion outside the dome with the rest of the team. None of them gave me very many details but they all came back with abilities. Gem can turn himself invisible for instance, and Gemma can walk through solid objects. Tenaya wasn't with the team at the time."

Dillon looked at her for a long moment, trying to decide if she was kidding, before turning to look back at the fight. It made a bit of sense if he thought about it. Ziggy was always answering questions he hadn't asked or snapping off comments about things he hadn't said out loud. He always seemed to have silent conversations with the other members of his team and he always knew what they were going to do. But still, the idea that Ziggy was telepathic was a little... scary.

As he watched Ziggy took a few steps away from the three, shrugging out of his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. Dillon raised an eyebrow when he noticed the thick black marks curling up Ziggy's left arm in intricate patterns. Ziggy had a tattoo? Now that was interesting. And something else came to his attention. "What's with the bracelets?" he asked, examining the identical silver bracelets Ziggy was wearing, the emerald in each gleaming back at him.

Kat glanced at what he was talking about. "It's the new morpher." she explained. "Tenaya designed it. The sliver is surprisingly pure, allowing it to channel the energies from the Grid better. Much more advanced than the morpher you have and less noticeable."

He glanced down at his own morpher, noticing how bulky it looked compared to the slim ones Ziggy was wearing. And now that he was looking he noticed that the other Rangers were wearing them as well. He turned his attention back to the fight, watching as Ziggy reengaged them, dancing and spinning around his teammates attacks with an amused glint in his eyes.

It looked like he was wrong. Ziggy was more than qualified to be team leader.

---

He was getting a head ache. He frowned in annoyance, resisting the urge to rub his temples as he watched Gemma bounce around. The woman was mostly unchanged except for the fact that she had cut her hair short. So short the ends brushed her chin, her bangs down in a choppy, ragged style. Unfortunately, her attitude hadn't changed much. "Is she always like this?" he asked.

Beside him, Kat snorted in amusement and nodded. "Always. Only one capable of calming her down is Ziggy and he normally just slaps her." she answered, turning her attention back to her computer. "It doesn't seem like the temporal energy is effecting the growth of the Venjix parts inside your body." she told him.

He felt relief flow through him and he sighed gratefully. "Thanks Doc." he whispered. He straightened and turned to the door just in time to see Ziggy enter and slap Gemma soundly on the head. A smile of amusement touched his lips when Gemma ducked reflexively and muttered a soft, "Sorry, boss."

"Don't apologize." Ziggy ordered. "It's a sign of weakness." He continued past her, walking towards them. He met Kat's eyes and jerked his head to the side. She stood immediately, making Dillon wonder at the level of obedience she hadn't shown to even Scott. Ziggy walked to a corner away from him and Gemma, Kat following him. He watched as they talked for a few minutes, Kat starting to look perplexed. But Ziggy looked determined.

Before they could finish their conversation an alarm blared, breaking the little silence that had wedged in. Dillon jerked his head up and automatically started heading for the garage. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gemma run towards the wall and then right through it while Ziggy also broke into a run out the door ahead of him, shouting to Kat over his shoulder. He entered the garage just as Ziggy was slipping into the Aston Martin and called out, "What about me?"

Everyone paused, Ziggy's hand still on the door handle, Tenaya straddling the bike, Gemma seconds from turning the ignition key, and Gem slid half way into his car. Then Ziggy shook his head. "You're not coming." He said in a tone that said not to question him.

And in typical Dillon fashion, he questioned him. "Why the hell not? I'm a Ranger too Ziggy. You can't just tell me to stay!"

"I think I just did. And you will!" Ziggy shouted back at him. Dillon caught the words on the tip of his tongue and crossed his arms, giving Ziggy one sharp, determined shake of his head. He could almost see the Green Ranger grind his teeth. Turning his head away, Ziggy jerked his thumb at the passenger seat. "You obey every order I give. No exceptions."

A small smirk twitching as his lips, he ran towards the car and easily slid into the passenger seat. Seconds later, Ziggy joined him in the driver's. He glanced at the younger man as he started the car. "Tell me you learned to drive." he said. Ziggy smirked at him as he told him. "Of course I did." With that said, Ziggy pulled out of the building and practically flew down the road.

After taking a particularly close turn at a very dangerous speed for the fifth time he turned to his former partner. "Where the hell did you learn to drive?" he demanded, his expression tense. Ziggy turned a smirk towards him as he pulled around another corner. "From you!"

They entered a relatively empty street, relatively only because it was packed with Grinders. "Ziggy!" he shouted in warning. Ziggy spun the wheel, causing the back end of the car to spin outward and slam into a group of Grinders. As Ziggy easily maneuvered backwards and away, Dillon looked wildly at his friend. He was insane. As he jerked the gear-shift into park, Ziggy turned to him. "I know." He agreed with that same infuriating smirk, stepping out.

The other Rangers joined the two of them seconds later. Ziggy looked over at him, slipping on a pair of slim black sunglasses. "Let's do this. Dillon, cover us. Take care of the Grinders." He ordered. Dillon didn't protest it, morphing along with the rest of the group. Once that was done, they split up, the four going for the attack bot standing in the center of the street and Dillon cleaning up the Grinders that tried to stop them.

But he continued to watch them out of the corner of his eyes. It pained him to realize that Tenaya, his sister, had taken his place as Ziggy's partner. It was the logical choice of course, anything else would mean splitting up Gem and Gemma, but it just didn't feel right. It didn't help that the grouping worked much better than their partnership, particularly because the two were on the same rough skill level where he had always been much stronger and much faster than Ziggy.

It seemed to take a startlingly short amount of time for the small team to take down the attack bot and almost immediately the Grinders cleared the street. The group demorphed and Tenaya stretched, a small smile on her face. "I like this, it was easy. Let's go home. I'll make dinner."

Gem and Gemma looked at each other. "I'm not one to pass up free food." Gem said in a round-about agreement. Dillon smiled in amusement and was about to walk back to Ziggy's car when he noticed the young man himself. Ziggy had a strange expression on his face and he was glancing around uneasily. "Ziggy, what's wrong?"

Ziggy looked at him, an anxious look in his eyes. "That _was_ easy. That was too easy." He whispered, continuing to look around. Tenaya, Gem, and Gemma gave each other uneasy glances. "What is it, Zig?" Tenaya asked carefully.

The Green Ranger paused suddenly, his expression becoming tense. "Are you here..." He asked, turning around to stare at something. Dillon squinted at the area, noticing a vague shape in the shadows. His breath caught and his eyes widened when the figure walked forward, out of the shadows. His thoughts froze in place even as Ziggy finished his question, his last word chilling him to the bone.

"To make me a martyr, Dillon?"

Ziggy watched as his version of Dillon stepped out from the shadows, raising a gun to point at him. There was a dark smirk on his face and his eyes were cold. There was something dark lurking in the back of his gaze, something the Dillon that had been at the base for the last three days lacked. His Dillon smirked at him and said, "It's crossed my mind."

He gulped slightly, forcing himself to stare into the dead brown eyes of the person his best friend had become. The eyes that had haunted his nightmares for nearly two years. He hated them. He resisted the urge to close his eyes against the dark memories that assaulted him as he stared at his former friend and partner.

_Ziggy choked back a cry when he saw Scott and Flynn lying on the cold street, unmoving. He raced forward, sliding to his knees and reaching out to cradle Scott's limb head in his hands. His neck was twisted at an odd, horrible angle. He could feel the tears starting to burn behind his eyes. He looked over at Flynn, horrified to see blood starting to pool beneath him._

_Slowly he raised his head to stare at the man towering above him. "What did you do?!" he shouted. "God damn it Dillon! What the hell did you do?!!!!"_

_A smirk crossed his former friend's face. "They should never have given me the chance." he whispered._

The man before him was a murderer. He had killed Scott and Flynn and many held him responsible for Summer's death as well. Scott and Flynn had spent the battle trying to talk to him, get through to him. They had been trying to get Dillon to remember who he was. And Dillon had killed them for it.

Ziggy had had to bury two more bodies that day. Had to carve their names into the monument that day. He had lasted through the funeral, not showing any signs that he was even aware of what was going on. But when he had gotten home that night, he had locked himself in his room and had a near complete mental breakdown. He hadn't lost just Scott and Flynn that day.

As far as he was concerned, his Dillon had died with them.


	4. Chapter 4

The Tainted and the Broken

Chapter 4

Dillon was pretty sure he had never felt this angry in his entire life. He ground his teeth to together, glaring at the young man before him. Ziggy stared stoically back at him, his arms crossed over his chest, looking completely nonchalant. "I had a right to know." he hissed.

Ziggy raised an eyebrow, looking unconcerned in the face of his anger. Four days ago, if he had been this angry, Ziggy would have been trying his best to avoid him or make sure he was still on Dillon's good side. Now he didn't so much as bat an eyelash and for some reason that pissed him off even more, especially since he would have been so annoyed if his Ziggy got scared; the boy should know he wouldn't hurt him. Ziggy just gave a calm, chilly smile. "I did tell you."

"You said I was dead!" he shouted, finally unable to hold back his anger. Out of the corner of his eyes he could the rest of the team start to ease uncertainly out of the room, Kat looking at them worriedly from the doorway to her lab where she had been coming to greet them. She had stopped when Dillon had spun towards Ziggy, anger and tension in every line of his body, looking worriedly at Tenaya for an explanation.

Ziggy's calm, completely false smile fell away, leaving him startlingly cold in appearance. "I said 'we lost you first'. I never said you were dead." he corrected, his tone tight, his body tensed, his expression blank, and his eyes harsh.

Dillon ground his teeth, one of his hands tightening into a fist. He had never actually considered purposely hurting any of his teammates but Ziggy was quickly pushing him towards the point where he would actually carry out the thought. "You never said I was evil." He finally managed to grind out. "I deserved to know I was working for Venjix."

"What I decide you need to know seems to be completely up to me." Ziggy countered. Before he could snap back at him, Ziggy slipped on those damn sunglasses, effectively hiding his expression, and walked out of the room. Dillon stood there for a long moment, trying to rein in the anger flying through him. "Damn him!" He finally shouted.

He didn't notice Tenaya usher the others from the room and approach him until her hand fell down on his shoulder. He looked at her, unable to stop the glint of animosity from shining in his eyes. She either didn't notice or knew he wouldn't hurt her of all people. She merely shook her head. "Don't blame him." she whispered.

"I deserved to know!" He shouted, feeling like he was about to explode from the emotions running through him. The shock of realization, the anger of not being told, the horrible twist of guilt, the spreading numb as the truth started to settle in. The destroyed lab, the loss of Scott, Flynn, and Summer, the darkness in Ziggy's eyes; they were probably all his fault.

Tenaya's eyes seem to read everything going on in his mind more effectively then Ziggy's telepathy ever had. "You're right." she agreed, sounding sympathetic. "You didn't deserve to find out about it like that. No one does. But don't blame Ziggy for it."

He looked at her, anger flooding through him again, winning over everything else. "How can I not?! He's team leader now, he should be the one telling me these things."

"It's a distancing maneuver, Dillon." She whispered. He watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she continued. "By not telling you, by not saying anything about the deaths or you losing to the virus, he gets to pretend for just a few seconds that it didn't happen. And those few seconds are the only thing keeping him together some days..." She trailed off, her brown eyes suddenly looking distant. "He fell apart when you left Dillon. A complete break down. Ever since then he has to do certain things to hold himself together. He loses himself in his work, he doesn't smile or laugh like he used to, he avoids people as much as possible, and he doesn't talk about the bad times. And by doing all those things, for a few precious seconds he can let himself... just forget."

As her words sunk in, Dillon suddenly felt very, very tired. The anger had left him, leaving him feeling drained and empty, a slow numbness sinking into all of his limbs. Tenaya gently grasped his elbow and guided him out of the garage and into the kitchen, pushing him into one of the seats. He sighed, dragging a hand down his face in exhaustion. He heard Tenaya moving around the room and caught the scent of coffee. He opened one eye when something warm was placed next to his arm, staring at the swirling pitch black liquid. "Is coffee your solution to everything?" he asked without any real bite.

"Only when it involves Ziggy." she answered.

Dillon pressed his lips together, memories from the battle they had just returned from playing in his head. The Grinders had returned, forcing most of them back and separating Ziggy from his team. He hadn't seemed to notice, his eyes never straying from the other Dillon. And then, like some unspoken signal had been given, the two had started fighting. What had looked like an elegant dance during training had turned deadly in real battle as the two traded blows. Ziggy was much faster than he remembered and he had learned how to harness his momentum to give him the strength he lacked. It helped bridge the gap the Venjix upgrades created between him and his opponent.

But there had been something in every hit he gave, in the look in his eyes, that was off. Something that chilled him to the bone as he had watched. And now, thinking back on it, he realized what it was. "He's trying to kill me." He recognized.

Tenaya paused, then slid into the seat next to him. "It because he knows you too well." she whispered. And just how was that supposed to comfort him? "For nearly a year and a half, we tried to get you back. And then, Scott and Flynn died... you killed them." Her voice whispered, confirming his worst fears. "And Ziggy knew, he knew, that even if we could bring you back, you wouldn't want us to. He knew that after that, you would never be able to live with yourself. He ordered us to stop trying to save you."

He closed his eyes, trying to fight off the image of Ziggy looking at him with those sad, dead brown eyes as he told them the three missing members of their team were dead. Tenaya's voice washed over him, soft but depressed, trying to make him understand. "Before that, Kat and I were trying to make an anti-virus to get rid of the control program. We were starting to make progress but after their funeral, Ziggy told us to stop. That you wouldn't want to be saved any more. We stopped working on it, buried it under other work and tried to forget about it." Her hand fell on his as she whispered, "Dillon, please." Her voice was a plea, making him raise his head towards her. But he found he couldn't look into his sister's eyes, not when he knew how much pain he'd put her through. "Please, tell me he was right. Tell me we did the right thing. Please, Dillon. Tell me I didn't give up my one chance of knowing my brother."

He thought about it. About how merely knowing he'd killed his friends and irreparably damaged the others made him sick to his stomach. Actually doing it and having to live with it every day... he didn't think he could do it. He turned his hand around to hold her slim, smooth one in his larger, more callused one gently. He forced himself to meet her pleading gaze, hating the shadows in them, the shadows he'd put there. "You did the right thing." He assured, meaning it with every once of his being.

---

He walked the halls late that night, unable to sleep with all the thoughts now running through his head. This team was broken and bleeding. Irreplaceable members, people that were basically family, were dead. The remaining members were clinging tight to what was left of their little family, doing what ever they could to forget the deaths had ever happened, to pretend that everything was okay. And the team leader, his sweet, innocent, beautiful Ziggy, was a broken, shattered mess on the verge of a complete nervous break-down. And it was all his fault.

'_They don't call them nervous break-downs anymore.'_ Ziggy's voice whispered, ghosting down the dark, lifeless halls. He jerked, glancing wildly around him. There was nothing around. Then he realized he hadn't actually heard him with his ears. It had all been in his mind. '_They call them severe depressive episodes._' Ziggy continued.

And either he was finally losing it in this very wrong future world or Ziggy was screwing with him. He remembered what Kat had told him that morning, that Ziggy could project his thoughts into other people's heads. "Can you not do that?" he hissed lowly.

_'Yes. But then I can't correct you._' Ziggy replied, seemingly nonplussed. _'And I am not on the verge of a mental break-down. I've already had two, I refuse to have another.'_

That urge to hit the younger man came back, making him grind his teeth. He walked quickly down to the bottom floor, somehow knowing where Ziggy was. He stalked into the training room, stopping at the sight before him. He felt his breath suddenly caught in his throat and he lost his train of thought. Ziggy was moving deftly across the room, his bare feet sliding gracefully over the practice mats. He was dressed in black sweat pants and a green sleeveless shirt, his hair tied back in a ponytail. There was just the slightest hint of sweat on his brow, making his skin seem to glow. He was moving through a kata seamlessly, his body twisting as he swung a roundhouse kick through the air with such force that he didn't doubt that it would send a Grinder flying even without being morphed.

He walked forward, intending to confront the person that had once been his best friend. The best friend he no longer knew anything about. Ziggy spun suddenly, his foot flying towards him. He reacted automatically, grabbing his ankle and jerking him forward, off-balance. Ziggy tumbled forward, crashing against his chest. Dillon caught him, steadying him quickly, his first reflex being to apologize. "I'm sorry Zig." he said without thinking. "You startled me."

Ziggy sighed, his breath ruffling his shirt. "Don't apologize. It's a sign of weakness." He said in a tone that meant the words were also reflex, something he'd gotten used to saying. It took only a second for him to remember just who he was talking to though because he jerked back, his hand pushing against his chest. "Let me go." He ordered with a surprisingly strong authority, reminding him that Ziggy had been team leader for quite a while now.

He backed off, watching as the young man took three large steps away from him, his expression tense as he blew his bangs out of his face. "What are you doing down here?" he demanded, glaring at him. Dillon resisted the urge to glare back. "Couldn't sleep. You?"

"I try not to." Ziggy snapped, making Dillon wonder what had pissed him off so much. Ziggy's jaw tightened. "You did." he hissed, answering the question he hadn't said aloud. Now that he knew what he was doing, Dillon really hated it. "Stop reading my mind!" He hissed.

Ziggy gave one sharp, defying shake of his head, making him growl. "Listen Grover." he snapped, finally fed up. "I have tried being nice and I have tried being sympathetic and you have not given me a single break. I just found out I killed a big part of the **only** family I had and that I'm still trying to kill what's left of that family **and** destroy the only home I've ever had. I have had one hell of a day and I'm pretty sure I'm going to completely **lose it **soon! I do not need your grief. So just back off!"

What happened next, he didn't expect. Ziggy hit him. Actually, flat out **hit** him. A precise, startlingly strong hit to his jaw. His mind shut down in shock for a spilt second but in that spilt second his body acted reflexively, punching Ziggy back. The younger Ranger stumbled away, his head turned down from the hit. Horror swept through him for a brief second, his immediate action being to think that this was Ziggy, who wasn't built like he was, who didn't have Venjix technology running through his body. Then that moment passed as he remembered this wasn't his Ziggy. If it was, he would be on the floor right now.

He watched as Ziggy raised a hand to touch his jaw, his head still turned away. Slowly he turned his head to look at him, his eyes shocked. "You hit me." He whispered breathlessly in surprise.

Dillon rolled his eyes. "You hit me." He replied sarcastically, the glare he'd been trying to hold back earlier showing through. Ziggy nodded, his jaw tightening, "If that's how you want to play." he hissed. It was the only warning he got before Ziggy spun, launching a vicious round-house kick at his head.

He ducked on reflex, the only thing that saved his head. If Ziggy wanted to fight, he'd fight him. He punched at him, a good majority of his strength in the hit. Ziggy glided quickly around it, moving smoothly into a counter-attack. Almost immediately, Ziggy took control of the fight with surprising ease. He had been right. Ziggy's fighting style looked graceful and elegant from a distance but up close it was quick and deadly. He tried to put distance between them, knowing that if he could throw Ziggy off for even a second, he could destroy his momentum, the thing most dangerous about his technique, and gain the upper hand.

But Ziggy didn't let him, always seeming to be two steps ahead of him. Dillon had no doubt about what he was doing. He was reading his mind. "Get out of my head!" he snarled. Ziggy didn't listen, his eyes shadowed as he glided through a series of three quick point kicks. "You won't win fighting like that." The younger man whispered.

He ground his teeth together, a part of him surprised to find himself unable to shift into the offense, to busy trying to keep Ziggy from seriously hurting him. It took a few seconds for him to realize why and just what Ziggy meant.

He was holding back.

A big part of him didn't want to hurt Ziggy, his first and best friend, even if this wasn't the Ziggy he knew. It was because it was the same eyes staring out at him from beneath the long hair and if he stopped looking too hard he could remember the innocence in them, could ignore the darkness in them. No matter how much this Ziggy pissed him off, it was still Ziggy.

Ziggy faltered during his next punch.

Dillon took advantage of the waver, grabbing his wrist and throwing him roughly across the practice mats. Ziggy saved himself seconds before he crashed, his hands flatting on the floor as he forced himself into a flip. He landed in a crouch, jerking his head up to glare at him. Dillon saw something catch the light on Ziggy's cheeks and he froze, his eyes widening. Was Ziggy... crying? "Ziggy?" he whispered in shock.

What had happened to the normally calm, unshakable team leader? The hard, cold, almost harsh and uncaring version of his friend? Why was he crying?

Ziggy ignored the tears blurring his vision, rushing him again. Dillon found it suddenly easy to block his attacks, showing just how badly Ziggy was falling apart. Feeling horribly guilty about being the thing that finally pushed him over the edge he grabbed Ziggy's wrist, pulling him close. Ziggy beat his free hand against his chest repeatedly, his hits slowly weakening with each one. Dillon let him, knowing he needed to do it. And when Ziggy's hands were suddenly grasping desperately at the material of his shirt instead of hitting him, he pulled the now sobbing boy against him, holding him close.

The Green Ranger clung to him, tears leaking down his cheeks, his whole body shaking. Dillon felt each sob ripping itself past his throat tear at his heart and he could do little do than hold him close, unable even to say it would be okay. Because it wouldn't be. There was still a crazy, homicidal version of himself running around somewhere trying to kill them. Slowly, the boy stopping crying and slumped against him, breathing still ragged.

"You okay?" Dillon whispered. Ziggy shook his head, burying his head in his shoulder. Dillon sighed, rubbing soothing circles over the small of his back. "I'm sorry." He breathed, not sure what he was apologizing for. Ziggy pulled away slightly to try to give him a stern glare which was ruined by the tears still lingering on his cheeks. "Don't apologize. It's-" Ziggy started.

"A sign of weakness." Dillon finished for him. Ziggy's glare faded away and a small smile crossed his lips. "You're learning." he whispered. Dillon returned his slight smile and helped guide the still shaken younger man up the stairs to his room.

He rolled his eyes when he saw Ziggy's room. "I can't believe you have a window seat." He muttered to himself. Ziggy didn't hear him, walking toward his dresser and pulling out a pair of long cotton green pants and a white shirt. Dillon's eyes widened when he noticed Ziggy's hands fall to the waist band of his sweats and he respectively turned away. The shuffling of clothing met his ears and after a second or two he glanced over his shoulder at his friend. Ziggy had already changed into the sweat pants and was currently tugging on the shirt. He couldn't help but run his eyes over the smooth, unblemished skin of his back as he watched as the white cloth fall down.

He jerked his head away when Ziggy started to turn back and waited until the younger Ranger cleared his throat to turn back around. Ziggy was staring at him with a raised eyebrow, his eyes containing a knowing, amused glint. He refused to blush, returning the stare. After a minute a small smile flickered over Ziggy's face and he stretched, wiping away the remains of his tears and walking towards the bed pushed into the far corner. "Good night Dillon." he whispered.

Dillon smiled slightly, hearing hints of the boy Ziggy used to be in his tone, and turned towards the door. As he did, he noticed a glint on the dresser and looked closer. A small ball-bearing chain necklace with a wolf charm lay next to a familiar pocket watch. He walked towards the items, gently picking up the watch. "You kept it?" he asked, hearing Ziggy stop moving behind him.

"I couldn't bring myself to throw it away." Ziggy whispered. "Tried a few times. Couldn't do it."

He looked over at the younger man and gave him a small, thankful smile. "Thank you for taking care of it." he whispered. He placed it back down and nodded slightly before walking out the room. "Good night, Ziggy." he breathed as he shut the door.


	5. Chapter 5

The Tainted and the Broken

Chapter 5

Dillon's sleep was short-lived that night. He woke up early, about half-an-hour before the sun rose and got dressed, leaving his room. He passed the door to what he now knew to be Ziggy's room, pausing to stare at it. There was no light showing from between the door and the floor so he assumed the younger man was still asleep. He was glad for that; Ziggy needed the rest.

He walked down to the lower level, surprised to see a light coming from the kitchen. He walked towards it, blinking against the harsh florescent as he stared at the young woman sitting at the counter. "Hey Doc." he greeted, making the light blue eyes rise to stare at him. "What are you doing up?"

Kat smiled slightly. "Couldn't sleep." she whispered. He nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that's going around." he agreed. She snorted in amusement and told him, "I've been going over the data recorded during the _shift 4 _tests on Sunday. I haven't been able to do anything with the data till now because you arrived."

"That's what Ziggy and Gem were doing when I first saw them wasn't it?" He asked, remembering the image of a gold fighter plane flying through the sky when he had woken up three days ago. She nodded in agreement, her eyes falling down again. He finally noticed the small data pad lying on the counter in front of her, the screen displaying numerous statistics. She caught his staring and spun it towards him, explaining the system to him.

He got so involved in it that he didn't realize someone else had joined them till Kat turned her head, smiling softly. "I thought you were asleep." she whispered warmly. He turned his head as well to see his sister leaning against the door frame, staring in at them with tired eyes. Tenaya was wearing a loose white undershirt and very small purple shorts which revealed nearly the entire length of her legs. She smiled at them, walking forward to wrap her arms around Kat's waist.

"I was." She whispered softly, her voice coated in affection. "But then you were gone." Tenaya nuzzled into the side of the young doctor's neck like a cat, her eyes closed and her hair falling into her face. Dillon leaned back and observed them, amazed by how comfortable they seemed with each other. A soft smile crossed his lips when Kat reached up, running her hand calmly through Tenaya's dark hair.

It was amazing that these two people, who just two years ago were mortal enemies, had fallen so completely in love. It was a startling bright light in this rather bleak future and the one thing he really didn't want to change about it.

---

Dillon decided later that if having him and Ziggy beat the crap out of each other was what it took to finally break the ice between them then he should have done it a long time ago. It wasn't much of a difference between today and yesterday, not something that could be seen by an outsider. Ziggy wasn't suddenly back to being his old self but this morning his eyes had been warmer, his expression more open. He'd even slapped him, which, according to Gem who always seemed to be getting smacked, was one way Ziggy showed he cared.

Ziggy was still broken and lost but he seemed just a little lighter, just a little bit freer.

As the team settled back that day, seeming to all breathe a sigh of relief now that the tension between Dillon and Ziggy had lessened slightly. They were all off doing different things, which some how ended with him and Ziggy alone in the same room, something he realized the team had probably been trying to avoid this entire time. Ziggy was curled up in one of the chairs in the rec room, a book settled in his lap. He looked much smaller than normal, resting there.

And with the sun streaming through the window next to him, much more beautiful.

Dillon leaned against the wall, running his eyes over the pale skin and soft curves of Ziggy's lightly muscled, long-limbed figure. He had been hyper-aware of Ziggy since he'd arrived, so he'd observed every small difference in him. But he had also noticed, with a starting clarity, the younger man on a much more physical level than he had before. After last night, after the fight and the break-down where he had seen the real Ziggy, he had to admit that he was defiantly attracted to his friend.

Ziggy's dark brown eyes flickered up to stare at him from above the top of his book. A brief war raged within them before he calmly set it aside. His voice whispered out, surprising him. "Thank you."

Dillon frowned at him, trying to understand what he meant. "For what?"

Something flickered in Ziggy's eyes and his expression faltered for just a second before the blank look returned. However, his eyes dropped to watch his fingers trace patterns across the cover of his book. "For last night. All this time I've was always the one comforting others, I was always the one they turned to. I've never had someone to turn to myself because everyone needed me to be the strong one, even before Summer died. But you're not really a member of my team; you'll be going home soon. So, thank you for... letting me break down like that." He whispered, a note of gratitude. Ziggy looked up at him, the hints of a familiar smile on his face.

Dillon nodded. "No problem."

Ziggy opened his book and returned his attention to it. But before he could get too absorbed in it, Dillon asked him, "You want to finish that fight?"

The Green Ranger paused and looked up at him. Slowly, a smirk formed on his face. He set the book down again and stood. "You are so on." He said, a challenge in his voice. His eyes shone with a surprising playfulness that he'd only known existed through the stories Tenaya had told him once. He followed Ziggy down to the ground floor, glad to see a bit of life returning to him.

When they entered the training room, Ziggy shrugged off his jacket, revealing the tattoo on his lower arm again. Dillon traced its twisting black pattern with his eyes, a part of him still unable to believe he had a tattoo. Ziggy seemed to know what he was thinking because he trailed his fingers over the mark briefly before shifting into a stance. Dillon smirked at him and motioned him forward.

Immediately, he wondered why he'd suggested this. Because this wasn't his Ziggy. This Ziggy could kick his ass. He twisted away from one of his attacks, managing to grab his arm and twist it behind him. "Where'd you learn to fight like this?" he asked him, his breath ghosting over the younger man's ear as he trapped Ziggy's arm between his back and his chest. Ziggy squirmed, his arm twisting roughly in his hold as he replied. "Nice guy at a former Power Rangers base taught me. Strange man though, had an even stranger name. I think it was Link, or Arch, or something like that."

Ziggy jerked suddenly, moving in such a way that he barely held on. It didn't matter that he did though because Ziggy brought his leg back so sharply that his heel hit him soundly on the head. He winced, his reflex reaction making him drop his hold on Ziggy's arm. The minute he was free, Ziggy ducked down, sweeping his feet out from under him. Groaning, Dillon quickly rolled to the side to get out of Ziggy's range of fire.

"And that tattoo?" he asked, catching Ziggy's kick and trying not to wince from the force. Before Ziggy could pull the same move on him that he did with Tenaya, he threw him to the side. To his surprise and startled amazement, Ziggy caught himself and forced his body into a quick round-off that ended with a no-hands cart-wheel. "Where'd you get that?" He continued, trying to hit him.

Ziggy easily slapped away his punch, ducking past his defenses to jam his elbow into his stomach. "In Briarwood." he answered. And much to Dillon's amazement, Ziggy grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder onto the ground. Ziggy straddled him, one of his hands moving behind him while the other pinned his shoulder to the ground. Before Dillon could break free Ziggy leaned forward, pulling a knife from nowhere and leveling it against his neck. "And for the record," He said, his breath a soft pant and his cheeks flushed the faintest of pinks. "It's not a tattoo."

He didn't reply as he stared up at his friend, horribly aware of just how close they were. Ziggy's chest pushed against his own as they breathed and his soft pant whispered past his face, teasing his senses. They were very, very close. So close he could feel the heat soak from Ziggy's body into his own and see every ridge in Ziggy's dark brown irises. Dillon suddenly really wished Ziggy would return to the cool persona he'd been hiding behind when he arrived if it got them out of this situation.

Some strange emotion he couldn't name flashed through Ziggy's eyes and the younger man bit his lip as they stared at each other. After a long moment, Ziggy slowly pulled back, pulling the knife from his neck and standing swiftly. Once the younger man's weight was gone, Dillon leapt to his feet, staring at Ziggy. "You've gotten good." he complimented into the awkward silence.

A tight, small smile wormed its way across Ziggy's lips. "For you, I've always been your ally. For me, I've been trying to kill you these past two years." He told him. Dillon watched as he slipped the knife back to where ever he got it from and walked calmly to the door. But he could tell from the sound of his footsteps that the minute he exited the room he ran. He sighed, dragging a weary hand across the back of his neck. What the hell was going on between them?

---

"We owe you." Tenaya said later as she made dinner. Dillon slowly turned his head to watch his sister in surprise and confusion. She didn't look at him as she continued to cut up a group of tomatoes. "For helping Ziggy."

She paused briefly, her knife hovering over the cutting board. "Half the time it seems like he can't face the past. The other half it seems like he can't escape it. You being here... it's helping him lay his ghosts to rest."

She turned to him and he was rewarded with a bright, grateful smile. "It's going to make him easier to live with. And I think, it'll make it easier for him to live with himself. So thank you."

He nodded at her in acceptance even though he thought he didn't need to be thanked. Ziggy was his friend. Helping him was only natural, especially since he had been the one to cause the damage. Helping Ziggy was the least he could do to make up for everything he had done. Or would do. Something like that.

---

If Dillon was honest with himself, he'd admit he really had no idea how it happened. One minute they had all been enjoying a nice, quiet dinner. The next, they had been engaged in an all out food fight.

By the end of it, there was salad dressing smeared against his shirt, bits of tomato in his hair along with the tomato juice, and something he thought could be the soup they'd had on his hands, pants, and shoes. The kitchen was a mess and it had been a complete waste of food that would take hours to clean. But at the end it was all worth it.

Because Ziggy laughed.

They had all jumped when the clear, wind-chime like sound echoed through the room and turned towards the new team leader. Ziggy was sitting on the floor, one leg pulled up to his chest, soup dripping from his long hair and bread crumbs dusted across his pants with dressing painted across his cheeks. And he was laughing.

"I... I hope you know," he said between laughs, pointing a finger at them. "I'm not helping you clean this up."

With that said, he had stood and, still chuckling slightly, had left. Dillon had helped them clean for a bit, all of them a bit high on Ziggy's rare laughter, before he had gone looking for his friend. He had found him perched on the counter in the men's bathroom, carefully wiping away the dressing from his face. "You are a mess, Grover." he said in amusement.

Ziggy raised an eyebrow at him, pausing in his work. "And you're not?" he asked. He nodded in understanding. "Touché." he agreed. He stepped forward, reaching out for the hand with the towel. "Here, you missed some." he whispered.

Their hands met, Dillon's nearly wrapping completely around Ziggy's slim one. The younger man's dark eyes shot up to his and after a minute he let go of the towel so Dillon could wipe away the rest. Dillon carefully tipped the Green Ranger's head up and stepped closer, gently wiping away the dressing dotting his cheek. Once it was gone he let go of Ziggy's chin so he could lower his head.

They both froze when he did so, so close their noses brushed. Dillon could feel Ziggy's breath catch and then flutter across his face. He leaned into it, taking a slight breath. Ziggy smelt like a rain forest and soup and just the slightest hint of sandalwood. He jerked suddenly, realizing just how much closer he'd put himself to Ziggy and pulled away.

Ziggy's eyes were wide and his breathing was uneven. Dillon tried to ignore it and turned away. "I'm going to let you take a shower." he told him. He glanced back as he left, seeing Ziggy still staring at him. This time he recognized the look in his eyes. It was a mix of longing, want, and fear.

---

Ziggy sighed and let the hot water of the shower pound against his back, leaning his head against the cool, damp tile. The day had been hard. After last night he had decided to try to make Dillon's stay here a little easier and all it had done was land him right where he'd started, a helpless little boy praying for his attention. And he hated even really hated it.

He closed his eyes, trying not to think about it. But it was too late; the memories played out inside his head.

_He stared up at the man in front of him, hating the dark, evil look in his eyes. "Dillon, come on. It's me, Ziggy." he whispered, unable to raise his voice very high. "Beat it Dillon."_

_Dillon didn't reply, just reached forward and ran careful fingers down the side of his face. He shivered, his eyelids fluttering shut briefly before he tried to will the sensation away. Dillon didn't make it any easier because he stepped closer, his breath ghosting across his ear. "You won't win Zig." he told him, a hint of maliciousness in his tone. "I am going to so enjoy tearing the Rangers apart. I think I'll even leave you for last."_

_Ziggy gulped thickly, fear tightening his throat and tears pushing at his eyes. Dillon's hand moved downwards, curling in the chain of his necklace. "And one day__, at the end." he continued, pulling on the wolf necklace. The chain gave and snapped, making him wince. "You will be just like this thing. A broken mess."_

_The Green Ranger felt something slam into his head and he winced, his vision starting to swim. He crumpled to the ground, his breathing weakening. "Dill...on..." he breathed, the echo of his necklace falling to the ground and Dillon's footsteps burned into his memory as the world went dark around him._

Dillon and he had been going out for two months before that had happened. He had loved every single second of it and Dillon had never looked so happy. And then, just like that, it had ended. When he had woken up, he had cried, hard and long and for everything he had lost.

After that it was mostly a blur. And he could remember was the pain and the tears and god, when was it going to stop? That was the first time he'd broken. It would happen once again a year and a half later after Scott and Flynn's funeral. After that he'd sworn it would never happen again. And he'd never doubted that. Not until the other Dillon had appeared on their doorstep, still with that beautiful life in his eyes that Ziggy had long forgotten was there.

It was the first time he'd ever even thought about having another mental break-down. And he'd held on by the tips of his fingers.

"How many times can I break till I shatter?" he wondered aloud.


	6. Chapter 6

The Tainted and the Broken

Chapter 6

Dillon decided he really hated the sun. He groaned, rolling over away from the bright light streaming through the too large window in the room he'd been given. It hurt to just be facing it even with his eyes closed. He was really tired and he just wanted to sleep. He shifted restlessly, trying to will his mind to shut down and go back to sleep. Ignore the sun, just go back to sleep...

He didn't notice that someone had snuck into his room until the hard body slammed into his, light laughter washing over his ears. "What the hell, Tenaya?!!" he shouted, twisting out from beneath his sister's body to glare at her. She shifted up onto her knees, still giggling madly. "Got you!" she accused, pointing at him happily.

His glare didn't seem to affect her as she brought her hand back to tap thoughtfully at her chin. "You know, I never could do that with Ziggy. Last time I did it successfully he pointed a gun at my head. Now he hears me whenever I try. And then he slaps me." She told, as if she thought he'd care.

"And I'm going to slap you right now if you don't leave him alone." Ziggy's voice told them, making them look up. Ziggy was resting against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at them with a raised eyebrow. There was a smirk dancing at his lips. "Now that you two are so cheerfully awake, get up." he ordered, shaking his head minutely.

Dillon glared at them both, grinding his teeth. "Can't I just go back to sleep?" he asked in annoyance.

The two shared a look then both shook their heads. "Nope."

He groaned, dropping back down on the bed as Tenaya hopped up, walking over to Ziggy. Turning his head, he watched as Tenaya ran a hand through Ziggy's messy hair affectionately, even as the young man swatted her away. It was a familial gesture from them both, making him smile softly at the comfortability they had; both with each other and with him because when he'd first arrived they never would have acted like that around him.

Once Tenaya had left Ziggy turned back to him and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Do you plan to lie there all day?" he asked. Dillon gave the impression of thinking about it. "It's an idea." He told him just so he could watch the younger man sigh in exasperation.

"You're impossible." Ziggy told him but Dillon thought he'd heard just the slightest bit of warm affection in his tone. He smiled slightly as Ziggy turned away, listening to his footsteps disappear down the steps.

After a long moment of just lying in bed he stood up and changed into normal clothes. Walking down into the kitchen he spotted Gemma standing near the sink, calmly washing out a cup. He muttered a greeting, not noticing how she tensed, and pulled down his own glass, walking over to where the still warm coffee was resting. "Do you guys live off this stuff or something?" he asked, the bite of his words softened by the amusement in his voice.

"Only Ziggy." she told him. This time he noticed how tight the words sounded and he turned to look at him in confusion. She met his gaze and something in her eyes was off, different from the last time he'd seen her in Kat's lab. "Something wrong?" he asked her calmly.

Silence stretched between them as Gemma refused to reply. He didn't notice the cup slip from his hands until it crashed against the ground. They both jerked back reflexively, Gemma's stare turning into a glare. "What is wrong with you?" she demanded, her voice angry. "You just love causing messes don't you?"

He felt shock numb his insides but before either of them could say anything a sharp whistle dragged their attention away from each other. Ziggy was standing on the other side of the counter, staring at them with stern eyes. "That's enough Gemma." he said. An annoyed glare cut off what ever she was about to say. "Dillon, clean this up." He ordered. "And you. Come with me." he told Gemma, his tone tight, his gaze warning.

Gemma sighed but followed him out obediently. Dillon watched them go in confusion. He knew Gemma had no problem following Ziggy's orders, he'd seen her do it before. So it had to be him.

---

Tenaya watched Gemma walk away, leaving Ziggy to stand in the garage alone. He sighed, running a tired hand over his face. "You can't blame her." She told him, walking forward. She stopped next to him, looking at him with sad eyes.

He nodded slightly, running a hand through his long hair in irritation. "No I can't. But Dillon... doesn't need to know everything."

She watched him sadly, her eyes dark. Gemma had taken it hard when Flynn was killed. She had been married to the Blue Ranger for nearly a year and had, unfortunately, miscarried two weeks after the funeral. She had never forgiven Dillon and she probably never would. "Ziggy, I know you're trying not to think about it but..." she trailed off, unsure what to say.

"I'm not doing it for me." He said. "When Dillon goes home, he's going to have to live with everything he learns here for the rest of his life. So, the less of he knows, the better it will be for him to live with himself."

Her eyes widened in understanding and she breathed out. "All this time... I thought you were just trying to avoid the past. But you were trying to protect Dillon." She shook her head in amazement. "You're good, Zig. I never even thought like that."

"That, Tenaya, is why Scott left me in charge." he told her, the hints of a smirk on his face.

---

Dillon walked calmly down the hall, turning his head when he heard voices. He could see Tenaya and Kat in the lab from the door way. Kat was sitting at her computer, leaning back in her chair as Tenaya ran her hands through her long black hair. There was a soft smile on the doctor's face. "What are you working on?" Tenaya asked in a whisper, just barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Ziggy asked me to work on it." Kat told her, her head dropping further back into Tenaya's hands. The Violet Ranger smiled and leaned down, pressing a soft, loving kiss to her lips. Dillon smiled as he watched them interact, happy for them. He turned and let them have their moment. Walking through the garage to the stairs he noticed a lean, limber figure resting on the hood of Ziggy's Aston Martin. He focused on the figure, recognizing Ziggy's long, messy brown hair and pale ivory skin.

He smiled slightly and walked forward. He stopped near the passenger door, leaning against it and watching the moonlight that shone through the wide window near the ceiling play across his flawless skin. He knew Ziggy knew he was there but neither of them said anything.

Finally, Dillon told him, "If this was my car, you would be in so much trouble."

Ziggy turned his head to smile at him slightly. "Then I guess it's a good thing this isn't your car, huh?"

Dillon snorted in amusement and motioned him over. Ziggy obediently slid over, allowing Dillon to slide in next to him. "What were you doing?" Dillon asked. Ziggy turned his head back to the fake sky visible through the window. "Thinking." he whispered.

The Black Ranger propped his head up in his hand, turning on to his side to stare at his friend. Ziggy's eyes flickered towards his briefly before returning to the window. Dillon couldn't help but run his eyes down the younger man's body, taking in the soft curves and almost delicate bone structure. "Will you stop that?" Ziggy demanded, glancing at him again.

"Doing what?" he asked. Ziggy gave him a knowing look, rolling his eyes slightly. Dillon smirked, dropping his gaze. It landed on the mark decorating his arm. "So if it isn't a tattoo, what is it?"

Ziggy turned to mirror his position. "It's a seal." he told him. At Dillon's confused look he sat up fully and clapped his hands together before spinning them in opposing directions. When he pulled them apart, dark green lightning flew between his palms. The tattoo on his arm disappeared and a long, very sharp-looking sword appeared in his hands. Dillon arched an eyebrow as he watched Ziggy easily spun the sword. "You have a sword... sealed into your arm?" he asked in disbelief.

The Green Ranger smirked and gently rested the tip of the blade against his palm. Green lightning ran between his palms again and he watched as it disappeared, the tattoo coming back. "Ziggy Grover you are certainly full of surprises." he whispered, earning himself a small smile as Ziggy laid back down.

They were silent for another moment, Dillon nearly hovering over Ziggy due to their positions. This time it was Ziggy who spoke first. "Can I ask you something Dillon?"

He nodded, watching as Ziggy's eyes flickered anxiously in every direction. "Ever since you got here," he started haltingly. "You've had this image of me in your head. This sweet, innocent, happy image of me." He paused, his gaze finally moving to look at him. "Was I... really like that once? That happy?"

Dillon dropped his gaze, unable to meet the dark eyes. "Yeah. Yeah you were." he told him. "You were really... nice. So very full of life."

Ziggy turned his head away and closed his eyes. "Ah." He whispered. "It's been so long since I was like that I've... forgotten how to act like that." Dillon watched sadly as Ziggy turned his head to try to give him a wide smile. He leaned forward, pressing his index finger against the boy's lips. "Don't." he told him. "Don't smile like that unless you want to."

He felt the smile drop off his face beneath his fingers and watched as the fake happiness Ziggy had been trying to project in his eyes faded back to the blank look he normally had. Dillon gulped slightly, sadness jerking at his heart. "I'm sorry." He whispered. He pressed down harder on his lips when he felt Ziggy about to say something. "And don't give me that 'it's a weakness' bull. I am sorry, Ziggy. For what I've done to you. And to this team."

The Green Ranger closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, a weak smile on his face. "Figures. You haven't changed." he whispered. Dillon drew back when the words ghosted across his skin and shivered. Instead of placing his hand back to his side he placed it on the other side of Ziggy's head. He didn't think when he slowly leaned down to press his lips against Ziggy's. The boy didn't move to meet him but he didn't pull away either, even though he had to know what he was planning to do.

Their lips met. Ziggy's lips were soft and malleable. Dillon pressed closer; the younger man's lips were warm and inviting. Ziggy shifted beneath him, his arms starting to wrap around his neck as he gave in to the contact. For a split second he kissed back, his eyes sliding closed. Then his arms moved from around his neck to press against his shoulders, urging him back. Dillon complied, pulling back to stare at the younger man.

Ziggy's lips were plumb and his cheeks were flushed. Dillon gulped as he stared down at him, his breathing feeling shaky. Ziggy's eyes were dull and... wet? "I'm sorry." Ziggy whispered. He twisted out from under him, getting to his feet and hurrying up the stairs. Dillon sat up, watching him go sadly. He waited for a moment then followed him up.

His door was open so he pushed the door the rest of the way open and slid in, staring at his friend. Ziggy was sitting on his bed near the headboard, his knees drawn up to his chest. His old watch was lying on the bed near his feet, open and playing. Dillon closed the door behind him, staring at him closely. "Ziggy?" he asked.

Ziggy raised his head to stare at him, his eyes open and lost. It was as if every shield he had put in place had, with that one kiss, fallen apart, leaving him open and defenseless. "You don't..." he trailed off, shaking his head."You don't even care about him like that, do you?" He asked, his eyes moving to a photo on his bed stand. Dillon slowly followed his gaze, his breath catching when he saw it.

The photo was of the two of them. He had wrapped Ziggy in his arms, his chin resting on the smaller man's shoulder. Ziggy was smiling widely, his old self so apparent in his eyes that Dillon's breath caught in his throat. But he... he was staring at Ziggy with kind, loving eyes. And he... really didn't know what to say.

"Two months." Ziggy told him, his voice shaky and depressed. "We'd been together for nearly two months. But then... then you lost to the virus." Dillon turned towards him, his eyes wide and startled. Ziggy looked away from him, shaking his head.

Dillon slowly dropped his gaze in thought. "I don't..."

"Know what to say." Ziggy finished for him. He curled himself tighter, turning his head away. "Please leave me alone." he pleaded. Dillon watched him for a long moment before he listened, leaving the boy alone silently. He walked towards his room, crashing onto his bed.

He... and Ziggy? Despite the attraction he had been feeling to him, he'd never actually considered a serious relationship, let alone something that would last for months. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm his thoughts. But something stuck with him. In the photo, Ziggy had been leaning against him freely, trusting him completely. And he had betrayed that trust.

No wonder Ziggy had been so cautious of him. He'd broken his heart.

He didn't know how long he laid there but when he sat up, his clock read 2 a.m. He stood and, not sure he should be doing it, walked down the hall to Ziggy's door. He needed to talk to him; he needed to understand and know Ziggy was going to be okay. Before he could knock, the door opened and Ziggy stood before him, his eyes shadowed with dark rings. He looked exhausted.

"Are you okay?" he asked without thinking.

Ziggy tried for another weak smile. "I can't sleep." he whispered. He seemed to think about something then gave up, leaning heavily against the door. "I don't..." He looked away, shaking his head. "I can't be alone tonight." he whispered.

Dillon heard in that one sentence a silent plea for help before he lost himself. He reached forward, wrapping his arms around the younger man. Suddenly the fact that they had been a relationship didn't matter because Ziggy needed his help. Ziggy pulled him inside, shutting the door behind them. They both fell down onto the bed, Ziggy curling into his embrace. "What can I do to help?" he asked.

Ziggy looked up at him, his eyes wide and startlingly venerable. "Just don't leave me alone." He said, confirming his theory. All of Ziggy's walls had fallen down in the face of the kiss. Dillon smiled slightly, pulling Ziggy closer. It took only seconds for him to fall asleep.

For a long moment it was quiet. Then Ziggy shifted, his face contorting in pain. Dillon frowned, watching as Ziggy twisted in displeasure, looking troubled. He reached out, trying to shake the boy awake. Ziggy's eyes suddenly snapped open, flipping him over onto his back. Something cool was placed against his head, making him shiver and freeze. Ziggy's eyes were haunted as he stared at him.

Dillon glanced to the side, trying not to flinch when he saw the .357 Sig Sauer pressed against his temple. Ziggy's hand was sure where he gripped it. "Ziggy, its okay." he whispered. Ziggy blinked down at him. "It's me. You were dreaming."

Ziggy blinked down at him, trying to focus. "Dil... lon?" he asked shakily. He pulled back, the gun sliding from his forehead, allowing him to breathe easier. So, that was what Tenaya meant this morning. He gulped slightly and asked. "You sleep with a gun?"

The Green Ranger gave a choked laugh, squeezing his eyes shut. "Yeah I do." he agreed. Dillon reached up, wrapping his hand around the gun and tugging it out of his hold. He let it drop to the ground and pulled Ziggy as close as possible. He didn't protest, just held on tighter. After a very long half an hour, Ziggy managed to finally drift back to sleep.

The Green Ranger looked peaceful in his sleep, all of his hard edges melting away. He looked innocent and almost child-like. Dillon trailed his hand down Ziggy's bare arm, enjoying the smooth texture of his skin. He turned his head just enough to see the photo of him and Ziggy. Somehow, right now, he could understand getting into a relationship with Ziggy. There was something calming and relaxing in laying next to him, watching him sleep.

Neither of them noticed Dillon's hand start to fade as it swept over Ziggy's arm until, if one looked, they could see through the skin and bone to Ziggy's arms beneath his hand.


	7. Chapter 7

The Tainted and the Broken

Chapter 7

Dillon woke up to the feel of the warmth next to him disappearing. He shifted restlessly, sliding his eyes open just slightly. For a moment he couldn't quite remember where he was, and then he caught sight of the figure across the room. Ziggy was curled up in his window seat, which allowed the light of rising sun to shine in. His arms were crossed over his knees as if he was trying to curl into a ball and his eyes were locked on the sunrise. He frowned at the lonely, distant and unreachable image his best friend created. "Ziggy?" he whispered.

The boy turned back to him. "Morning Dillon." he greeted solemnly. Dillon pushed himself up, watching as the orange and red light of the sun glinted off his friend's pale skin. "What are you doing up?"

Ziggy shrugged slightly, leaning his head on the glass next to him. "Thinking." he whispered. "So much has changed." There was a sad note to his voice and he once again turned his head back to stare out the window. Dillon sighed, resting his hands on his knees. "Ziggy..."

"Please don't start." Ziggy told him. "I know what you're going to say and I've heard it all before." He looked over at him, his eyes shadowed and dark. He pushed himself off the ledge, walking towards him. Dillon wasn't entirely sure what to expect as he did so but he allowed the boy to approach. Ziggy laid a hand on his shoulder, his gaze slightly concerned. "Go back to sleep Dillon." he whispered. "You look like you need it."

Dillon let him push him down, surprised by the silent strength of his movements. "What about you?" he asked. A wave of tiredness washed over him and he had to fight to keep his eyes open. As they slid down he could just make out Ziggy's weak but amused smile. His words were faded as he whispered, "Not yet Dillon."

---

When he woke up, he was alone. He stood and walked out quickly, blinking against the harsh light filtering in through the window in the garage. The entire building was near empty. He frowned slightly, walking into the only room he hadn't checked. Kat's lab was also empty but a door he had never noticed before was open on the far wall. He walked towards it, gently nudging it open.

The room was round and was empty except from the semi-circle table resting on a raised platform. He spotted Ziggy sitting in the seat directly across from door, talking heatedly with an old man sitting next to him. The man looked tired, with a worn expression and age-lines. But Dillon recognized the dark blue uniform he was wearing, the familiar brown eyes.

Colonel Truman.

The military leader of Corinth was so much different than he remembered. He looked very tired and his eyes had the same defeated light that Ziggy's had, it just wasn't as carefully hidden. The loss of his last son had obviously taken its toll on him.

Ziggy stopped talking suddenly, his eyes flickering over to him. "Good morning, Dillon." he greeted.

Truman turned towards him and a glint of anger lit up his dark brown eyes for a single moment. Then... nothing. There was no hate, no heat, nothing that he had expected. It seemed that after all this time, after all the hardship, Colonel Truman had lost even the energy to hate the person that had taken his son away from him.

Ziggy stood, turning his attention away from Truman. "You slept in." Ziggy informed him. "It's nearly 1300."

He shrugged slightly. "Guess I needed the sleep. What's going on?"

"We were just discussing ways to enhance the city shield. Tenaya believes that if we can shift the shield to the proper frequency, it can be used as a weapon." Ziggy told him calmly, moving away from the table and Colonel Truman. Dillon leaned against the doorway, watching his friend with a raised eyebrow. "You can do that?" he asked.

Colonel Truman spoke up, his voice deep but weary. "Miss Seven believes we can. But it would take a massive amount of work and we simply do not have the resources to complete the work."

Ziggy turned to him, exasperation in every line of his body, making Dillon wonder how long they'd been having this argument. "Those are resources my team can easily obtain if given the chance." he snapped.

"But the work, Mr. Grover, would leave the shield down for an extended period of time. Time that we also do not have. I do not know what exactly you are trying to accomplish here but I will not allow your suicidal tendencies to threaten this city." Truman snapped back, standing up to meet Ziggy's cutting stare. Dillon was impressed. He had been faced with that stare before and had had a hard time meeting it every time. Truman had apparently gained a resistance to its effects.

The Green Ranger straightened, throwing his shoulders back as a hard expression slid across his face. He was suddenly the leader he had claimed himself to be. And Dillon had to admit, that it was a frightening image. "I am trying to end this war, Colonel." Ziggy said, his voice clear, without inflection. There was more in his tone, something that made people stand straight and listen to him. "You want to wait Venjix out but we both no that's not going to happen. He has the world's resources at his finger tips; he is not going anywhere anytime soon. We are." He paused then continued, less heat in his voice, more sadness. "We are winning Colonel, but we are losing every battle. Any progress we have made so far has been made with blood. And the city, these people, they know that."

"People can't just live Colonel." Ziggy whispered. "They have to live for something."

Truman sighed, sitting down heavily. "It is a bad plan. But you are right. We can not afford to loose anymore people." He looked away, admitting defeat. "If your team can acquire the materials needed then... you may go ahead with Miss Seven's plan."

A grateful smile curved Ziggy's lips for the briefest of moments before it disappeared. "Thank you Colonel." He said as he nodded. The Colonel stood up and nodded to the both of them. Dillon watched as they exchanged goodbyes, surprisingly pleasant despite the heated argument they had just had. He waited until the man had left before he approached, coming to stand next to his shoulder. "That was interesting."

"I hate politics." Ziggy muttered. "I normally let Kat handle it."

Dillon snorted in amusement. "Where is Kat? Where's everyone for that matter?"

Ziggy shifted to look up at him, a thoughtful look on his face. "Gem and Gemma are out playing with _shift 4_ and Kat and Tenaya are..." he trailed off, his eyes glazing over. Dillon frowned at him, watching as his expression turned distant. After a minute his eyes cleared and he returned to normal. "They're out on a date, I guess you could say."

"Good for them." Dillon said. "What do we do?" he asked.

Ranger Green smiled slightly, shaking his head. "I have to work on the plans for the shield. You are going to sit around and do absolutely nothing."

---

Dillon swirled the chair he was sitting in, watching as Ziggy typed rapidly on Kat's computer. "You sure you should be messing with that?" he asked for the fifth time in that hour. Ziggy looked up, giving him an irritated look. "Yes I'm sure." he hissed. "Now shut up and let me work."

He smirked slightly as the boy returned to the project he was working on. Two years ago, Kat would never have let him anywhere near her computers. Now Ziggy moved around them like he owned them. It was an interesting sight. He stood, walking over to his friend. He stopped behind him, noticing how tight his muscles were. "You're really tense." he whispered, dropping his hands onto Ziggy's shoulders. He froze for a minute then kept working. Dillon's smirk widened. "Are you ignoring me?" he asked.

No response.

He shook his head, pushing his fingers into the tense muscles in Ziggy's shoulders. The boy shifted slightly but let him do it. Smiling slightly, Dillon pushed his thumbs upward, letting them brush the skin at the nape of his neck. His smile immediately disappeared, replaced by a frown as he gently fingered the rough skin collected there. He pushed Ziggy's long hair aside, staring at the scar printed into the back of Ziggy's neck. "What's this?" he asked.

Ziggy paused again then brought one of his hands up to brush over the scar. "Its old." he muttered. "Not important."

His jaw tightened and he gripped Ziggy's shoulders. "What's it from, Ziggy?"

The Green Ranger sighed and glanced at him from over his shoulder. "Do you remember that necklace in my room? The one next to your watch?" he asked. Dillon frowned, picturing the ball-bearing wolf chain in his mind. Ziggy nodded. "Yeah that one." he whispered, his tone said. He looked back down at the computer as Dillon focused, realizing the chain of the necklace would fit into the scar perfectly. "It was a present. You got it for me." Ziggy told him. "I never took it off. When you lost to the virus, you ripped it off my neck, so hard it left a scar."

He frowned slightly, staring at him. There was a sad, wistful smile on his face, making him wonder what he was thinking about. He didn't know why but he leaned down, pressing his lips gently against the scar. Ziggy froze again. When Dillon pulled away he dropped his head back, staring up at him with wide eyes. After a minute of them staring at each other, Ziggy smiled softly. "Thank you." he whispered. Dillon smiled down at him and nodded.

---

Dillon frowned slightly when he heard the soft music echoing out from the garage. He walked towards it, listening to the beautiful harmony. The music was dominated by a violin and what he thought could be a harp. There weren't any lyrics, just a woman's voice echoing the melody. He entered the garage to see Ziggy working on his car in the same way he'd seen Gem do once. However, the music was defiantly coming from Gemma's silver Infiniti. "Didn't think this was your kind of music." he told him.

Ziggy glanced over at him, not seeming terribly surprised to see him standing there. "Its not." he answered. "But my music will just make my headache worse."

"What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to him. Ziggy shrugged. "It's just a headache. It's called a physic backlash. Happens if I'm not careful with my telepathy." he told him. Dillon sighed slightly, turning to look at the numbers flying down the screen. "What are you working on now?" he asked.

"The shifts." Ziggy told him, turning back. They're very important on missions like this."

He hummed slightly, still not knowing enough about the information to make use of it. "I see." he muttered, hearing Ziggy snort in amusement. "I'll be riding with you, right?"

Ziggy paused, looking up at him. He sighed in annoyance. "I'm coming Ziggy."

"That is, not a risk I can take." Ziggy told him, trying to turn back to his computer. Dillon growled, grabbing his shoulders and spinning him around. "Explain it to me." he hissed, making the younger man back up until he hit the car door. Ziggy took a deep breath, his eyes slightly wider than normal. "What if the other you is there Dillon?" he asked. "I can tell you apart on sight but the others can't. If you come along and he's there, how are they going to be able to tell you two apart? What if they think you're him and attack you? What if... they think he's you?"

Dillon closed his eyes and pulled away. "I can't take that risk with they're lives." Ziggy whispered. "I'm sorry. Any other situation, I'd gladly have you by my side."

He sighed heavily, turning away from him and placing his head against the cool metal of the roof of Ziggy's car. The Green Ranger's hand fell onto his shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. He nodded tightly. "I'm just tired."

"How? You slept through the entire morning." Ziggy commented. Dillon turned his head to look at his friend. Ziggy stared back at him, his gaze concerned. "You want to go to bed?" he asked. He shook his head. "Maybe later." he whispered.

Ziggy looked like he was going to say something but before he could a dark violet Lotus Evora rolled into the garage. Ziggy pulled back, turning to watch as Kat and then Tenaya stepped out. The Violet Ranger smiled at them. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I've got a headache, Dillon's tired, and we're going out tonight." Ziggy told them. Tenaya smiled. "Cool."

---

Dillon watched from the sidelines as the team got ready, unable to shake the feeling that he should be going with them. Kat was fussing over Tenaya, Gem was fussing over Gemma, Tenaya and Gemma were rolling their eyes, and Ziggy was next to him watching it all in amusement.

Kat pulled back, looking up at Tenaya with wide eyes. "Be careful okay?" she requested. Tenaya nodded, leaning forward to press a passionate kiss to the doctor's lips. Dillon smiled slightly, turning away from the display to stare at his friend. "Do I have to tell you that?" he asked.

Ziggy looked up at him. "You can. I doubt it will do any good, but you can." he told him. Dillon smirked slightly, shaking his head. "Go." he ordered.

The Green Ranger smiled slightly before gathering his team together. Dillon followed the group out to their cars, watching as they climbed in. "Ziggy." he called. The man paused, looking over at him. "Be careful." he requested.

Ziggy smiled slightly again and nodded. "I always am."

---

Two hours later and they still weren't back. Kat had kicked him out of her lab about an hour into the mission, leaving him to worriedly pace the length of the garage. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and ordering himself to stop thinking. They'd be back. Eventually. He hoped.

He stopped when a wave of dizziness crashed over him and groaned, pressing his hands to his eyes. Maybe he should have taken that nap. He slid open his eyes, not removing his hands, and gasped slightly when he realized he could see straight through his palms. He pulled his hands away quickly, staring at them. And through them. He was fading away.

He quickly turned and hurried back into Kat's lab. "Kat!" he shouted. The woman looked up at him, annoyance in her eyes. "Yes Dillon?" she asked irritably. "We've got a problem." he told her.

Before he could say anything else, another wave of dizziness crashed over him. He winced, bracing himself against the desk. Kat stood up quickly, walking over to him. "Dillon? Are you okay?" she asked.

He shook his head, his vision blurring. His knees buckled and he let himself crash to the floor. The last thing he heard was Kat's worried shout of his name before he fainted.

Then... nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

The Tainted and the Broken

Chapter 8

Kat slowly walked down the stairs into the garage as the team entered. The sky was dark, the sun having set a long time ago. Despite the late hour, there were proud smiles on nearly every face. Ziggy stopped in front of her, looking down at her. "Done. I think we got everything." he said. She didn't say anything, just stared up at him with sad, dark eyes. She watched as his brow furrowed and he slowly started to look around. Finally he looked back at her, his eyes concerned. "Where's Dillon?" he asked.

"Medi-lab." she told him. His eyes widened and shot up to the upper level. He glanced at her again then back up and he ran past her, taking the stairs two at a time. She turned to watch him enter the medi-lab, closing the door behind him. Her heart went out to him. Tenaya's hand fell on her shoulder, making her look over at her lover. Tenaya's dark eyes were concerned. "What happened?" she asked.

She turned to face the team, taking a deep breath. "He fainted earlier. The temporal energy holding him to our time is nearly gone. He's fading away; returning home." She whispered.

"How soon?" Tenaya asked. She shrugged. "Who's knows? The energy is chaotic. He could disappear in five minutes or five days."

"Let's hope for the latter." Gemma whispered. "Give Ziggy time to say goodbye."

Tenaya turned to the Silver Ranger, frowning slightly. "I thought you hated Dillon." she accused. Gemma shook her head. "I never said that." She said. At every one's confused looks she continued. "I can never forgive him for everything he's done. But he makes Ziggy... happy." A small, sad smile crossed her lips. "How could I hate him?"

Later that night, Tenaya gently pushed the door to the medi-lab open, staring inside. Ziggy had drawn a chair next to the bed Dillon was resting on and was just sitting there, staring at him. "Ziggy?" she called. The man turned his head slightly in acknowledgement. "Shouldn't you be in bed Ziggy?" she asked, approaching him. He didn't say anything, just returned to looking at Dillon. She sighed slightly and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Just don't stay up all night okay?" she requested.

Ziggy nodded his head minutely. She sighed again and, deciding she wasn't going to get any more out of him, left the room. She jogged quickly down the stairs to the bottom floor to see Kat waiting for her. They stared at each other for a minute then Kat held her arms open. Tenaya quickly stepped into the embrace, letting the smaller woman wrap her arms around her. "I hate seeing him like this 'Rine." she muttered, using the affectionate nickname she never used around anyone else. "I worry that he's never coming back when he gets like that."

"I know." Kat whispered, her breath ruffling her hair. She dropped a gentle kiss into Tenaya's dark hair. "Me too."

---

Ziggy waited a few minutes until he was sure the two women were occupied with each other then he stood up. He silently shrugged out of his jacket and toed off his shoes before climbing into the bed next to Dillon. He sighed shakily, resting his head against the Black Ranger's shoulder. "Please don't leave me alone again." He pleaded softly, even though he knew the older man didn't have a say in the matter. He closed his eyes and let himself fall into a restless sleep.

---

Dillon came awake slowly. He groaned slightly, his eyelids fluttering. The first thing he was aware of was a light weight resting on his chest. The second thing was an almost comforting heat, and then a soft, rhythmic breath washing across his neck. He tilted his head to the side to see Ziggy laying next to him, his head laying against his shoulder. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was sleeping. Rather peacefully to.

He blinked at the boy, trying to remember how he had gotten like this. A quick look around revealed that he wasn't in his or Ziggy's room but the medi-lab. Then he remembered. Being in the garage waiting for the team to get home. Seeing through his hand. Running to Kat's lab. Fainting.

He shifted minutely but it was enough to rouse the boy sleeping next to him. Ziggy moaned softly, his eyes flickering open. He stared up at him for a long moment. Finally Dillon raised the hand Ziggy wasn't laying on and waved. "Morning Zig." he greeted.

Ziggy's eyes widened and he pushed himself up off his shoulder. Before Dillon could do anything, the younger man leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Dillon blinked in shock, his breath catching in his throat . He slowly pushed back, one of his hands falling to the small of Ziggy's back. For a long moment Dillon let himself enjoy the simple, chaste contact and the feel of Ziggy's body laying on top of his. Then Ziggy pulled back, his eyes wide. "Dillon, I'm sorry. I didn't... even think." he whispered.

A small smirk twisted his lips upwards. "What happened to never apologizing?" he asked.

Ziggy paused, blinking down at him. Then a small smile twitched at his lips. "Moron." he whispered fondly. He sat up, running a hand through his hair. Dillon groaned softly at the loss of weight on his arm, turning onto his side and staring up at him. "What's going on?"

The small smile he'd manage to coax into existence disappeared, leaving Ziggy looking horribly sad. "You're leaving." he muttered. "The energy's disappearing. You're going home."

He frowned but before he could say anything, Ziggy stood up. "Come on." he said. "Kat wants to run a diagnostic now that you're awake." Dillon stared up at him for a minute then realized he wasn't being given a choice. He stood slowly, feeling exhaustion settle into his limbs like lead. His vision swam once he was upright and he swayed slightly. Ziggy caught him immediately and waited until he found his footing before he let go.

"Are you okay?" Ziggy asked. Dillon nodded. "Yeah. Lets get this over with."

---

Ziggy watched as Kat ran her examination, his arms crossed over his chest. He felt rather than saw Tenaya approach him. "How are you doing?" she asked softly. He looked over at her, a twisted smile on his lips. "I've been better." he whispered.

They were silent for a moment then Ziggy spoke up, "One week."

She looked over at him in confusion. He met her questioning gaze, his lips pressed together. After a minute he looked back at Dillon. "I've been waiting for my Dillon to come back for two years. Two damn long, lonely years. And then I get him, right here in front of me, and I'm loosing him. One week. I've been waiting for two years and all I get is one damn week." He smiled darkly, shaking his head slightly. "I must be Fate's favorite punching bag."

Tenaya closed her eyes tightly against the agony in his voice, her heart aching. They all hated seeing him like this but there was nothing any of them could do. She reached forward, wrapping her arms around him and drawing him close. He didn't respond to the comforting gesture but he didn't pull away either so she let him rest there. They stayed like that for a long minute then Ziggy did pull away, just as Kat finished her examination.

The young doctor approached them, her eyes sad. "How is it?" Ziggy asked.

"He's fading fast." she told them. "At best, I give him an hour. But its probably less. A lot less."

They were all silent for a minute, then Ziggy requested. "Can you give us a minute?" They nodded and ushered Gem and Gemma out of the room. Before Kat left she turned and looked at Ziggy. "It's ready." She told him before leaving him and Dillon alone. The two stared at each other silently, neither wanting to say anything, neither wanting to admit the situation was happening. Finally Dillon whispered, "So, I guess I'm going home."

Ziggy nodded, letting another silence echo hollowly through the room. Dillon shifted uncomfortably, looking torn. Before he could speak again, Ziggy walked forward quickly and grabbed a very small disc off of Kat's desk. "This is for you." he said, handing it to him. Dillon took it in confusion, slipping it into his pocket. Ziggy kept talking. "I had Kat make it. She fit every file she's ever created these last two years onto it. Or, well, most of them. It's got the specs for the new morphers and the _shifts_, along with the basic drawings of the new shield modifier. And the anti-virus she was working on."

Dillon's eyes shot up to his. "I thought it wasn't complete." he muttered. Ziggy nodded. "It's not." he agreed. "But, maybe, your K can finish in time... to avoid all of this." he whispered, spreading his arms wide. "Change the future. Change the world."

Dillon pressed his lips together and nodded. "I will." he whispered. "I won't hurt you again."

Ziggy nodded sharply, looking away. There was a long moment of silence then Dillon glanced down when he felt his limbs start to go numb. He was disappearing again. "I guess its time." he muttered, stepping back. Ziggy's head snapped up at his whisper, his eyes going wide. He looked stricken as he ran forward, trying to close the distance between them. Dillon reached out for the boy but a wave of dizziness swept through him as he did so.

Ziggy ended up falling right through him. Dillon closed his eyes tightly, pressing his lips together. Ziggy took a deep breath, tears pressing at his eyes. Slowly, he pushed himself back to his feet, feeling his throat start to close up. He couldn't loose him again. He fought back against the tightness in his throat and whispered out three little words, a single tear slipping down his cheek.

"I love you."

Dillon froze briefly as the words registered then spun around to stare at him, his eyes wide. Ziggy remained turned away from him as he told him, "I always have. I never stopped." His words hitched in his throat briefly but he forced himself to continue, despite the way his voice cracked. "I love you Dillon."

Dillon starred at him for a long moment, his heart aching. Then he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the boy's shoulders. It wasn't a true hug because he was quickly starting to fade away but he hoped it would give him some comfort. Ziggy started to cry when he felt the weight of his arms but not his warmth. After a long moment of just standing there Ziggy couldn't take it any more. He stepped forward, hating the fact that he could go right through the circle of Dillon's arms. He turned to look at his friend and former-lover.

Then he smiled. Wide and bright and familiar. And it was real. "Thank you Dillon." he whispered. There were still tears pouring down his cheeks but he was sincere. "Thank you for teaching me how to smile again."

Ziggy's soft smile was the last thing Dillon saw before he disappeared.

---

The first thing Dillon felt was pain, a very familiar pain. Then the sensation of flying followed quickly by hitting the ground again. He rolled to a stop and laid there, slowly taking in the realization that he was back, he was home. He slid his eyes open to look around. He felt tired, really tired, but he managed to look around. Tenaya was staring at him in shock, the sphere of energy next to her slowly dissipating. The other Rangers were also staring at him. And laying on the ground across from him was Ziggy. His eyes were wide and filled with horror but there was something innocent about them, something comforting in them.

He smiled weakly, letting his eyes drift shut. He was home.

---

When he woke up again, he was in his room. His old room, the one at the garage. He sighed softly, closing his eyes. Just as he was about to let himself drift off again, he heard the door to his room open. He opened his eyes again to see Ziggy leaning against the door staring at him. "Ziggy." he whispered.

The younger man's eyes widened and he walked forward quickly. "Did I wake you?" he asked, stopping next to his bed. Dillon shook his head, pushing himself into a sitting position. "No, I was already awake." he assured.

Ziggy breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good." He paused, wringing his hands together. "Thank you for saving me." he whispered, making Dillon remember that he had been thrown through in order to protect Ziggy. "No problem." he whispered, suddenly really glad he had done it. He did not want Ziggy to see that future at all.

Silence descended between them. After a minute, Ziggy sat down next to him on the bed, looking at him with wide eyes. "Are you okay? I asked the Doc but she just said something about temporal portals and weird energy readings and I didn't get it at all." he said. Dillon smiled slightly in amusement. "I'm fine."

Ziggy smiled widely, "That's good." he whispered. Dillon stared at him, taking in the sunny smile he was getting. He had missed it. He looked into Ziggy's dark brown eyes, holding a new appreciation for the innocence in them. Ziggy's eyes were bright and happy and, above all, they were alive. He leaned forward quickly, pulling Ziggy into a tight hug. Ziggy blinked in surprise but easily returned the tight embrace. "Dillon, what's going on?"

Dillon smiled into Ziggy's short, curly hair. "Do me a favor Zig?" he asked. When he felt Ziggy nod he pulled back just enough to look The younger man in the eyes. Ziggy looked so very young right now and there was so much trust and faith in his eyes. "Don't change Ziggy. Not ever." He requested. Ziggy smiled slightly, his eyes bathed in confusion. But he didn't question him. "I don't plan to." he told him.

He just smile at his friend, looking at him closely. Ziggy was his friend and he cared about him greatly. The attraction he'd felt towards the other Ziggy was still there, just below the surface like it had always been. He reached forward, brushing a stray strand of hair out of Ziggy's face. He could learn to love Ziggy. He was already half way there.

---

Ziggy led him down into Doctor K's lab where he immediately had the attention of all the other Rangers. Dillon frowned, slowly looking around. This lab was so much smaller than Kat's and the team was so much bigger, it made him feel slightly crowded. He felt a small thrill flow through him when he saw Scott, Flynn, and Summer standing there, safe and unharmed. He felt almost giddy when he noticed Gem and Gemma staring at him with identical looks of concern, seeming to be in full twin mode. He stopped on Doctor K, taking in the short hair and black school-like uniform. "And I'd just gotten used to calling you Kat." he muttered.

K's eyebrows shot up as she stared at him. Her expression was quizzical but still slightly blank and her eyes were closed off. Yep, he was defiantly home. "Are you feeling well Series Black?" she asked. He looked around again and smiled slightly. "Yeah." he whispered. "Never better."

He then frowned slightly. "Where's my jacket?" he asked, remembering the small disc he'd placed in his pocket. Doctor K arched an eyebrow and held up said small disc. "Were you looking for this?" she asked.

He nodded, "That is for you." he told her. Ziggy started to bounce next to him in curiosity. "What is it?" he asked. Doctor K gave him a baleful look that made Dillon smirk slightly. Kat would never try that, not with the other Ziggy.

K slid the disc into computer and pulled up a random file. Lines upon lines of code immediately started to scroll down the larger screens. "This code is unlike anything I have ever seen." K told them. "Who ever wrote this is a genius. Beyond genius."

Dillon smiled slightly, wondering if she'd still say that if she knew it was probably Tenaya who had probably wrote it. "What is-

"It?" The twins asked. Gem was squinting at it and Gemma's head was tilted to the side. Doctor K shrugged, an unusual action for this version of her. "I have... absolutely no idea. And what's stranger is that I know I had a hand in writing it." she said, making them all look at her. "I recognize my own work and I can see it in there. Someone obviously helped me but I have no recollection of who it was or what this is. I wrote it but i do not remember doing so."

"You shouldn't." Dillon told her, making everyone turn to stare at him. "Because you haven't yet."

Now everyone was defiantly staring at them. "I was thrown through a temporal distortion." He told them, merely conveying what Kat had told him. Ziggy turned to him fully, giving him a disbelieving look. "What?!"

"A time portal." Doctor K translated. "You were thrown through time?" she asked him, staring at him. He nodded. "Oh yeah." he agreed. "I was in the future."

Doctor K glanced at the data still pouring down the screen. "Work like this would take months, even years. How far were you thrown?" she asked.

"Two years." he told them. "You were in the future?" Ziggy asked excitedly. "What was it like?"

He frowned, looking around. Doctor K had gone back to looking at the files curiously but all the Rangers were staring at him, waiting for information. But he refused to tell them the truth. "I'm not saying." he told them. Ziggy pouted slightly but didn't argue. Dillon looked down at him and smiled softly. "Don't ever change Zig." he whispered again.

---

**Two Years Later**

Sunday. August 24th, 2062. It was the day Dillon had first arrived in the future. Now, it marked the start of a whole new one. Dillon smiled slightly to himself as he sat on the roof, staring out at the city. Doctor K had managed to finish the anti-virus in time. He had never lost to Venjix, had never killed his friends, had never hurt Ziggy beyond repair. The world was as it should be. And he wouldn't trade it for the world.

Two years later and Venjix was holding onto its rein by its fingertips. If it had fingertips. The team had systematically destroyed nearly all of its posts, leaving the virus on the brink of destruction.

Many things were different. The team had never gone on whatever training mission outside the dome they had before, so they had never gained any gifts. Ziggy had never become a telepath or gained the seal on his arm. Scott was still in control of the team and was in the starts of a tentative relationship, although no one was sure if it was with Summer or Gem. Flynn and Gemma were finally engaged, after a long but peaceful courtship. Summer had actually gained a medical license a year ago.

Tenaya had joined the team just over a year ago. She wasn't engaged to Doctor K yet but Dillon could see the beginnings of that loving relationship in every interaction between them. It had taken everyone a long time to trust her but after a while she had joined the team once again as Ranger Series Violet. No one had ever seemed to regret the decision to trust her with that power for a single moment.

Ziggy was as he should be, whole and happy and alive. He didn't quite have the amazing strength and skill he did before, having never been able to meet the man who had taught him to fight, but Dillon had tried to teach him the basics of harnessing his inertia. The younger man had then taken the style and went with it. And they were completely in love with each other.

He looked up when he heard foot steps approach him. Ziggy was standing before him, two glasses of gold wine in his hands. The younger man smiled brightly and held out one of the glasses for him. Dillon took it thankfully, motioning the boy to sit down next to him. Ziggy did so, his smile warming. Dillon thought briefly then held out his glass. "To us." he said. "And the people we could have been."

Ziggy didn't question the strange toast, merely touched the rims of their glasses together then linked their arms through each other's. Dillon smiled at the familiar move, shifting closer so he could drink his wine. Once that was done, Ziggy drew back. His smile was still warm. Dillon placed his glass down and tugged Ziggy's away from his hand before pulling him into a kiss. Ziggy melted into the contact, his arms wrapping around his neck and his lips parting invitingly.

Dillon smiled slightly into the kiss and pushed the boy onto his back, sweeping his tongue through the moist cavern of Ziggy's mouth. When he pulled back, Ziggy was flushed and panting but there was a smile on his face. "To us." he echoed.

Dillon nuzzled into the boy's neck, his words ghosting across his skin. "To us; the Tainted and the Broken."


End file.
